<p>The Animal Husbandry Division of the BBMP springs into action to rein in the menace of stray dogs only when there is an incident of a stray dog mauling a child or attacking people. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The lack of concerted action is reflected in the increasing number of stray dogs across the City.<br /><br /> Most people say they have given up hope that the BBMP will reclaim the streets for them from stray dogs. <br /><br />While officials with the BBMP cite inadequate Animal Birth Control Centres (ABC) and lack of NGO participation as the main reason for not being able to sustain their sterilisation and birth control programmes, residents say that they are simply scared to walk on the streets. <br /><br />Naveena Chandra P S, a software professional and resident of Horamavu, says his daughter was bitten by stray dogs in his area only last year. His children are now scared to step out to play, fearing that they might be bitten and attacked again. <br /><br />“There is no control or regulation on the breeding of stray dogs in our area. We see the BBMP van come once in a while, catch the dogs and take them in the name of sterilisation and drop them back in the same area later. But what is the proof that the sterilisation process has even been done?” questions Naveena. The number of stray dogs in our area has almost doubled, he adds. <br /><br />Naveena thinks the often talked about shelters for strays in the City are of no use. “I don’t think these dog shelters are as active as they should be. You need sufficient funds to maintain these shelters and care for the dogs but I feel raising funds for the same has become a challenge,” he voices. <br /><br />Some people attribute the increase in the number of stray dogs to mounting garbage dumps across the City, especially in residential areas. This aspect indirectly encourages the dogs to hang around and breed in the same locality, points out Anjana Navnith, an IT professional. “The failure of the BBMP to effectively implement the animal birth control programme is the root of the issue. This, fuelled by other social problems which includes ineffective garbage disposal and a general ‘not my problem’ attitude of the citizens, worsens the issue,” says Anjana. <br /><br />She also adds that another problem that is silently but surely raising its head is the number of pedigree dogs that are being abandoned on the streets, thanks to unregulated breeding. <br />Recollecting a narrow escape from being attacked by a stray dog, Soumya, a home-maker, says, “I am a dog lover and I sometimes feed stray dogs but after I almost got attacked by one, I don’t really go near them too much. There is a visible increase in the number of stray dogs on the streets and I am sure the BBMP is not doing a good job with its animal birth control programmes.” <br /><br />Those who love dogs make sure that they also adopt strays, in addition to having their own pets but they point out that effort must be taken to understand the factors <br />that lead to uncontrolled breeding.<br /><br /> Lalitha Shankar, a sculptor and resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar, says that she has a lot of stray dogs in the vicinity but they don’t seem to bother the residents. <br /><br />“I agree that there is uncontrolled dog breeding but sometimes, I feel sad for the strays because they have nowhere to go. I also understand that there is a racket where some people kidnap healthy female stray pups and discard them after using them for breeding. I find this very unfair. These factors must be looked into,” she says. <br /><br />Officials with the Animal Husbandry Division of the BBMP concede that their animal birth control programmes need to be intensified across the City. Maheshwara Gowda, Joint Commissioner, Animal Husbandry Division, says, “We currently have seven centres and five NGOs who have tied up with us for the animal birth control programmes but we know that this is not enough. We hope to add more centres and rope in a couple of more NGOs to take <br />the programme forward in an effective manner.”</p>
<p>The Animal Husbandry Division of the BBMP springs into action to rein in the menace of stray dogs only when there is an incident of a stray dog mauling a child or attacking people. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The lack of concerted action is reflected in the increasing number of stray dogs across the City.<br /><br /> Most people say they have given up hope that the BBMP will reclaim the streets for them from stray dogs. <br /><br />While officials with the BBMP cite inadequate Animal Birth Control Centres (ABC) and lack of NGO participation as the main reason for not being able to sustain their sterilisation and birth control programmes, residents say that they are simply scared to walk on the streets. <br /><br />Naveena Chandra P S, a software professional and resident of Horamavu, says his daughter was bitten by stray dogs in his area only last year. His children are now scared to step out to play, fearing that they might be bitten and attacked again. <br /><br />“There is no control or regulation on the breeding of stray dogs in our area. We see the BBMP van come once in a while, catch the dogs and take them in the name of sterilisation and drop them back in the same area later. But what is the proof that the sterilisation process has even been done?” questions Naveena. The number of stray dogs in our area has almost doubled, he adds. <br /><br />Naveena thinks the often talked about shelters for strays in the City are of no use. “I don’t think these dog shelters are as active as they should be. You need sufficient funds to maintain these shelters and care for the dogs but I feel raising funds for the same has become a challenge,” he voices. <br /><br />Some people attribute the increase in the number of stray dogs to mounting garbage dumps across the City, especially in residential areas. This aspect indirectly encourages the dogs to hang around and breed in the same locality, points out Anjana Navnith, an IT professional. “The failure of the BBMP to effectively implement the animal birth control programme is the root of the issue. This, fuelled by other social problems which includes ineffective garbage disposal and a general ‘not my problem’ attitude of the citizens, worsens the issue,” says Anjana. <br /><br />She also adds that another problem that is silently but surely raising its head is the number of pedigree dogs that are being abandoned on the streets, thanks to unregulated breeding. <br />Recollecting a narrow escape from being attacked by a stray dog, Soumya, a home-maker, says, “I am a dog lover and I sometimes feed stray dogs but after I almost got attacked by one, I don’t really go near them too much. There is a visible increase in the number of stray dogs on the streets and I am sure the BBMP is not doing a good job with its animal birth control programmes.” <br /><br />Those who love dogs make sure that they also adopt strays, in addition to having their own pets but they point out that effort must be taken to understand the factors <br />that lead to uncontrolled breeding.<br /><br /> Lalitha Shankar, a sculptor and resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar, says that she has a lot of stray dogs in the vicinity but they don’t seem to bother the residents. <br /><br />“I agree that there is uncontrolled dog breeding but sometimes, I feel sad for the strays because they have nowhere to go. I also understand that there is a racket where some people kidnap healthy female stray pups and discard them after using them for breeding. I find this very unfair. These factors must be looked into,” she says. <br /><br />Officials with the Animal Husbandry Division of the BBMP concede that their animal birth control programmes need to be intensified across the City. Maheshwara Gowda, Joint Commissioner, Animal Husbandry Division, says, “We currently have seven centres and five NGOs who have tied up with us for the animal birth control programmes but we know that this is not enough. We hope to add more centres and rope in a couple of more NGOs to take <br />the programme forward in an effective manner.”</p>