'Over 1.30L people bitten by stray dogs in Kerala'

Despite a vast cleanliness drive and sterilisation initiatives, "God's own country", Kerala, continues to be a safe haven for stray dogs if the latest figures released by the state government are any indication. According to the government, over 1.30 lakh people have suffered stray dog bites in Kerala so far this year.

Local Self Government minister A C Moideen gave the figures as a reply to an unstarred question in the state assembly on Monday. A total of 1,34, 253 people had sought treatment in hospitals across the state following stray dog attacks this year, while 1.66 lakh people were attacked by stray dogs in 2018, 1.51 lakh in 2017 and 91,833 in 2016, he said.

Stating that the government was giving financial aid to those who suffer stray dog attacks from the fund of the respective local self-government institutions, the minister said a total of Rs 44.29 lakh had been sanctioned for the same in the financial year 2019-20.

To regulate the stray dog menace, Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme was being implemented with the support of district panchayats and all-women-network, Kudumbashree. Between June 2017-October 2019, a total of 43,834 stray dogs had been sterilized in the state under the initiative, the minister added.