No more walks with your pets in Cubbon Park

Horticulture dept to consider banning pet dogs in lung space

The Horticulture department will consider a ban on walkers’ dogs inside Cubbon Park, the Horticulture minister has said.

“I have told walkers to avoid bringing their dogs to the park as it disturbs other walkers and visitors. We will look into banning dogs inside the park as has been done at Lalbagh,” Horticulture Minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa told Deccan Herald.

He said he came across around 40 stray dogs during a recent function at Cubbon Park.

The Horticulture department also plans to conduct a survey of the canine population inside the park. “The project is in a preliminary stage and the report will include statistics such as the number of stray dogs, the number of other canines (pets) visiting the park every day, etc. We will also meet Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) administrator T M Vijaya Bhaskar seeking its help in curbing the stray dog menace in the park,” Dr M Jagadish, joint director of the Horticulture department, said.

The department has already put up boards inside the park warning the walkers not to bring their canines.

The Cubbon Park Walkers’ Association members said more than 50 dog walkers come to the park every day and there were around 30-40 stray dogs. The president of the association, S Umesh, said, “While we are not against dog walkers, we want them to keep the park clean. Some dog walkers do not maintain hygiene and do not clean their dogs’ excrement left on the street.”

The association members said there had been dog bite incidents earlier and hence the Palike should at least take preventive measures. Umesh pointed out that till date, the Palike had hardly taken up animal birth control programmes and sterilisation of canines.

“As per the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, dogs cannot enter the parks. Five months ago, I was bitten by a stray dog when I was taking a stroll inside the park early in the morning. The incident left my right hand injured and I had to get three stitches. While there is a ban on the entry of dogs in Lalbagh, there is no such ban here,” said a government official and regular walker, who did not wish to be named.