Corpn undertakes stray dog census

Coimbatore: The city corporation launched stray dog census in the east zone on Thursday.
Twenty-five volunteers of an NGO are involved in the enumeration, which will help the civic body to carry out population control measures, corporation commissioner Raja Gopal Sunkara said.
As many as 80 stray dogs are being sterilized at the Seeranaickenpalayam and Ondipudur centres a week, city health officer Satish Kumar said. “It is a challenge to plan and execute measures to effectively control stray dog population without any idea about their numbers. The volunteers will check whether the dogs are sterilized,” he said.
“The enumeration will be carried out in other zones based on the outcome of this exercise. The outcome will also help us to decide if more sterilization centres are required,” Satish said.
Residents are particularly worried about stray dog menace, a health official said. “We have no other option, but to leave the dogs caught from a particular place back there after sterilization as per rules. We know residents are not happy with the arrangement, but nothing can be done about it.”
It will take a few years for stray dog control measures to yield results, the official said. “There is no instant mechanism to bring down their numbers. The dogs thrive on food waste. If the waste is properly handled, their population will come down significantly,” he added.