Dog sterilisation: Cruelty slur on Odisha civic bodies

BHUBANESWAR: Animal rights groups and campaigners have alleged that municipal corporations across the state are openly violating protocols of animal birth control and handling stray dogs with cruelty and disregard.
They have demanded stern action against veterinarians as they claimed that protocols of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, were flouted during the mass sterilisation programme of canines.
According to People for Animals, a voluntary organisation that works for animal welfare, there is no monitoring committee to oversee the rules, nor any expert vet engaged. No trained dog catchers, no proper catching vehicle, no support staff, no infrastructure to achieve the target has resulted in thousands of dog deaths in the last few years, it alleged.
“Post-operative care is very poor as no proper pain killer, antibiotics are given. Due to lack of proper care and facilities the stitches of the operated dogs are not healing leading to severe infection and even death,” said Jiban Ballav Das, secretary of People for Animals.
Das added, “Young vets with no expertise in surgery have been engaged on outsourced basis. They should be replaced to stop dog deaths due to negligence and lack of expertise in surgery.”