Kannur panchayats allocate funds but lack essential shelters for sterilised dogs

Kannur: As many as 66 panchayats across the district have earmarked funds for stray dog sterilisation, allocating an average of ₹1 lakh each, with a few setting aside up to ₹3 lakh. However, with not a single dedicated animal shelter in the entire district, sterilised dogs inevitably end up right back where they were picked up - on the streets.

Curbing the stray dog population will remain an uphill battle unless local self-government institutions take the initiative to establish proper shelters. According to the 2019 animal census, Kannur had 71,721 dogs, of which 23,666 were strays. Officials note that a fresh census would likely reflect a far higher number.

Only Two Operational Units
The district’s sole Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre operates out of Padiyoor. Across its two functional units, the centre can sterilise between 14 and 16 dogs a day. As of October 5, 8,563 dogs have undergone the procedure here.

Under current protocols, dogs captured for sterilisation are released back into the exact same localities once the procedure is complete. As a result, sterilisation alone is proving insufficient to manage the street dog population. While the animal husbandry department plans to promote stray dog adoption drives, the feasibility and public reception of such initiatives remain uncertain.

Strict limits on euthanasia
Euthanasia cannot be used as a blanket measure. By law, mercy killing is permitted only for rabid dogs, those suffering from incurable illnesses or catastrophic injuries, and unprovoked, habitually aggressive biters. Such cases represent a very small fraction of the overall population.

Moreover, an outright eradication of stray dogs is neither practical nor ecologically sound; eliminating them entirely would upset the local food chain, drawing wild scavengers like foxes and jackals into residential areas. The most viable public health safeguard remains systematic vaccination. Pet owners have a statutory and moral obligation to vaccinate their dogs against rabies and obtain the required local body licenses. Meanwhile, widespread anti-rabies vaccination drives for stray dogs must be undertaken through joint collaborations between civic authorities, animal welfare organisations, and resident welfare associations.

Key Measures Needed
Strict curbs on open waste dumping: Garbage heaps on roadsides serve as prime feeding and gathering grounds for strays.

Proactive adoption drives: Create structured, accessible channels to encourage the adoption of rescued Indian community dogs.

Tough stance against pet abandonment: Implement strict penalties for owners who abandon their domestic pets on the street.

Crackdown on illegal breeding: Breeding must be restricted strictly to licensed breeders. Widespread, unregulated breeding leads to diseased dogs that are routinely dumped when unsold or sick, a vicious cycle that must be broken.