Bengaluru, 28 Aug

The death of a 76-year-old retired teacher from Bihar after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs during her morning walk in Jalahalli on Wednesday has raised questions about BBMP’s sterilisation programme to control the population of canines and measures to rehabilitate them.

Bengaluru is home to around 3 lakh stray dogs, according to data from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Speaking to Salar News, Dr Ravikumar, Joint Director of Animal Husbandry Department of BBMP, said “Through Animal Birth Control programme, we have sterilised and vaccinated around 40,000 strays this year and are trying to increase it by 50,000 by the end of this year.”

Animal welfare experts said while sterilisation is essential, the current pace of the programme is inadequate. “BBMP needs to step up its efforts by partnering with more animal welfare organisations and allocating more resources for sterilisation drives,” Thejeshwar B, Animal Welfare Warden, Karnataka Animal Welfare Board, and Board Member, Second Chance Sanctuary, Sarjapura, told Salar News.

BBMP has increased patrolling in areas with high stray dog populations and intensified efforts to capture and rehabilitate aggressive dogs. Ravikumar adds, “While we have made progress, we need more resources and better coordination to meet our goals. We are working on setting up additional animal shelters to accommodate stray dogs that need rehabilitation.”

Thejeshwar said the public can join in BBMP’s efforts by ensuring that their community dogs are sterilised. “Even the feeding areas can be limited to least populated areas,” he said.

To address complaints related to stray dogs, BBMP has a dedicated helpline (080-22660000) and mobile app (Namma Bengaluru Sahaaya 2.0). The average response time for such complaints is 24 to 48 hours, but residents have often voiced dissatisfaction with the delays. —Salar News