Stray dog menace: three shelter homes to be set up in Kannur

In the wake of the growing stray dog menace in Kannur, Minister for Registration, Museums, and Archaeology Ramachandran Kadannappally has announced the setting up of three shelter homes—two within the Kannur Corporation limits and one in the Cantonment area.

The Minister was addressing the media after a high-level meeting at the collectorate attended by officials of the district panchayat, Corporation and Cantonment Board and police, animal welfare and health departments. The decision follows mounting public concern after a spate of dog bite incidents reported across the district.

The move was prompted by a report of the Animal Husbandry department indicating that a few stray dogs involved in recent attacks could show symptoms of rabies within two weeks, the Minister said.

To prevent a potential rabies outbreak, all stray dogs within the city limits will be captured, vaccinated, and relocated to the shelter homes. A child bitten by a stray dog at Payyambalam and subsequently vaccinated is reportedly in a critical condition due to rabies.

The Minister said those who wished to continue feeding stray dogs could do so at the shelter but not on streets or roadsides. The Animal Husbandry department has been tasked with capturing, vaccinating, and sterilising stray dogs, with trained dog catchers deployed exclusively within the municipal limits for a week.

Veterinary support will be provided by doctors from the Padiyur Animak Birth Control centre. The Cantonment Board chief executive officer (CEO) has been directed to take steps to capture aggressive dogs in the area and shift them to the shelter. District Collector Arun K. Vijayan will oversee the operation under the Disaster Management Act.

K.V. Sumesh, MLA, district panchayat president K.K. Rathnakumari, District Police Chief (Kannur City) P. Nidhinraj, and Cantonment Board CEO Madhavi Bhargav attended the meeting.

LDF walks out

Meanwhile, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) representatives walked out of an all-party meeting convened by the Corporation to discuss stray dog menace. The walkout followed heated exchanges after United Democratic Front (UDF) representatives C. Sameer and Eramulla came down on the State government and the district panchayat for alleged inaction.

The LDF accused the Corporation of shifting blame to the district panchayat without offering any concrete measures to address stray dog menace. Mayor Musliah Madathil chaired the meeting.

“People are suffering, but the Opposition is playing politics,” he said, adding that the government and the district panchayat were trying to avoid responsibility.

He said the Corporation had decided to establish shelter homes for stray dogs and submit a proposal to the District Planning Committee for approval. Independent vaccination drives would also be undertaken by the Corporation, he added.

To enhance response capabilities, the Mayor said, contingent workers would be trained to catch stray dogs. In addition, a new initiative is being considered to collect biodegradable waste directly from sources and convert it into fertiliser, in a bid to prevent illegal dumping of organic waste, a major factor attracting stray animals, the Mayor added.