All-party meet endorses culling of dangerous dogs

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An all-party meeting chaired by chief minister Oommen Chandy here on Thursday decided to take steps to cull rabid and dangerous stray dogs that pose threat to the lives of people across the state.
The meeting convened by the chief minister in the state legislative complex decided that there are no legal hurdles that prevent the government from culling rabid and dangerous dogs.
But representatives of most political parties said killing was not a lasting solution to the stray dog menace. They urged the government to explore options such as effective birth control and vaccination.
Chandy said meetings would be held in every district which will be attended by ministers, collector and civic body representatives to fine tune the plan.
The CM said there was no lack of anti-rabies vaccine in hospitals across the state. He said animal birth control facility would be made available in every veterinary hospital and local self-government institutions should make use of the same.
Several participants in the meeting felt that lack of proper waste management mechanism was one of the major reasons for the stray dog menace but the majority said it would be better not to link stray dog menace with waste management.