Kerala Govt to Seek Rule Change for Dealing with Stray Dog Attacks

In response to a series of stray dog attacks, including the tragic death of a differently-abled boy, the government of Kerala announced on Wednesday its intention to seek changes in the rules regarding vagrant canines. Minister for Local Self-Governments M B Rajesh stated that the government would also file a court petition to lift the restriction on Kudumbashree, a poverty eradication and women empowerment program, from performing Animal Birth Control (ABC) procedures.

The High Court had previously directed the state government to halt Kudumbashree’s ABC procedures in December 2021 immediately. The court took this action during a PIL (Public Interest Litigation)  following the brutal killing of a dog on Adimalathura beach near Thiruvananthapuram. The dog was brutally beaten to death.

Minister Rajesh stated that the government failed to recognize this issue, and the public and media only blamed the administration. However, as per recent reports of dog attacks in different areas of Kerala, the state government decided to take a legal route to resolve this stray dog issue.

Incidents included a youth being chased and attacked by stray dogs in Fort Kochi, a three-year-old girl narrowly avoiding a dog bite in Kannur, and a child in Thrissur falling and sustaining facial injuries while trying to escape from a pursuing stray dog.

The child’s father mentioned that his son was in the ICU and required plastic surgery.

In a previous incident on June 11, an 11-year-old differently-abled boy was attacked by stray dogs in the Muzhappilangad area of Kannur, resulting in his death from severe injuries. The government faced intense criticism following this incident, leading it to attribute the challenges in dealing with aggressive vagrant canines to central legislation.

The state government requested relaxation in regulating the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Animal Birth Control rules. It also stated that it was implementing precautions and measures to prevent such tragic incidents and intended to approach the Supreme Court for permission to euthanize stray dogs that threaten human life.

The government emphasized that its Local Self-Government and Animal Husbandry departments were actively collaborating to carry out sterilization and vaccination programs for stray dogs in the state.