Cheers & brickbats in equal measure as memes flood social media amid BBMP's chicken rice plan for stray dogs

Bengaluru: Every day for the last six years, promptly at noon, 37-year-old ‘Protein’ Prabhu has sat with a basket of bananas at the entrance of the sprawling Indian Institute of Statistics campus, adjacent to the Bangalore University campus, feeding the monkeys that live in and around the area.

Prabhu also feeds about 30 dogs in the vicinity, but he waits until nightfall to avoid agitating neighbours who object to feeding strays.

He is happy that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to feed chicken and rice to street dogs across all eight zones—around 4,000 in total—at an estimated cost of Rs 2.8 lakh.

"This is a great step to control dog aggression, and a huge relief to people like me who spend from our own pockets. I spend about Rs 2,500 daily on chicken and rice for the dogs, and another Rs 2,000 for 50 kg of bananas that I feed to monkeys and cows," Prabhu told PTI.

According to BBMP’s tender document, the civic body plans to feed around 440 dogs in each zone. Each day, at about 11 am, a 400 gm meal of chicken and rice—providing roughly 750 calories—will be served at designated feeding points, it added.

The unprecedented move has left Bengalureans divided. Social media is awash with memes and jokes, many of which bring in themes like the "north-south divide", language politics, bad roads, and traffic.

For instance, 'X' user Karan Gowda (@Realkarangowda) posted a tongue-in-cheek remark—"Bengaluru stray dogs eat more protein than North Indians"—which garnered nearly 1,12,000 views in 15 hours.

Another user, Lord Immy Kant (@KantInEastt), wrote sarcastically, "After watching the news of Bengaluru feeding stray dogs with chicken and rice daily, stray dogs from all over India are planning to shift to Bengaluru. No language problems for them." Chethan Subbaiah (@chethansubbaiah) posted a photo of a puppy lying in a pothole puddle, captioned: "Bengaluru dog relaxing in a jacuzzi after having a tummy full of chicken rice and egg rice." User Shilpa shared an old video of well-fed strays roaming near Vidhana Soudha with the caption: "So, this explains why they were hanging around Vidhana Soudha. Their demands have been met!" However, not everyone supported the BBMP’s decision. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram from Sivaganga in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, said street dogs should be relocated to shelters.

"They need to be relocated to shelters, where they can be fed, vaccinated, and sterilised. Feeding and keeping them free-roaming on the streets is a huge health and safety hazard," he wrote, responding to BBMP’s announcement.

Countering this view, Karnataka Congress General Secretary Lavanya Ballal Jain urged people to "adopt an indie".

"The indie dogs, usually looked down upon in India, are a strong and resilient breed. It’s heartwarming to see that @BBMPCOMM and @BBMPofficial plan to feed community dogs. I agree that the streets aren’t where they belong—they deserve homes. So, adopt an indie," she posted on her official 'X' account.

Defending the decision, BBMP’s Special Commissioner (Health and Sanitation), Suralkar Vikas Kishor, said feeding strays should not be viewed in isolation. The broader goal, he said, is to eliminate rabies by 2030.

"We are simultaneously carrying out other measures like birth control and vaccination. Feeding strays is one part of the strategy," he said.

He added that this would be a focused initiative. "We are targeting about 2 per cent of the dog population and will concentrate on areas with high dog bite incidents, as well as places where no feeders currently operate or where feeders face challenges," said Kishor.

He noted that consistent feeding would eventually lead to better access to dogs identified as aggressive.

BBMP can then catch them more easily for vaccination or birth control surgeries, Kishor added.