If you are a dog-lover, and that love forces you to feed stray canines in your neighbourhood, think twice. You may be encouraging these stray dogs to be possessive about you, but aggressive towards others around.
Veterinary experts have long been cautioning against the expanding ‘caring population’ in Bangalore which helps unattended stray dogs multiply. The caring population is the one which feeds strays in the immediate neighbourhood, and such people become providers for the dogs. But it does not ensure their immunisation or sterilisation requirements of the stray canines; nor does it prevent its ‘pet’ strays from attacking others.
Wednesday’s fatal canine attack on an 18-month-old child near Bagalur Cross involved this very negligence by one among the caring population – Gunti Yadav alias Munsi, a native of Uttar Pradesh who was the supervisor of the brick factory where the dead kid, Prashanto’s parents worked as labourers.
Yadav regularly fed the stray dogs, numbering ten, but otherwise never looked after them. These dogs were always found close to the makeshift house in which Prashanto’s family lived.
Sudhir Kumar, Karuna Welfare Association for Animals, said BBMP has bye-laws that mandate those feeding stray canines to take licences (Rs25 each) for them and be responsible towards them.
“But this has not been implemented or enforced. But once it is, the caring population has to abide by it. They can’t prevent dog-catchers from doing their job,” he said.
“The least the caring population can do is get in touch with NGOs who can look after the stray dogs instead,” Yashodhara of Yashbans Kennels, who has adopted 28 stray dogs, said.
V Kalpana of ITI layout, said, “People who feed stray dogs need to understand two things – either be accountable in every way towards the street dogs or don’t feed them at all. Animals do not understand; they eat stale food offered to them which may trigger abnormal behaviour in them to create a nuisance.”
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