Chennai has a way for rabies-free India

Chennai: Animal welfare groups in Tamil Nadu, leading a pilot project in sterilisation of street dogs, are now urging the central government to support their animal birth control (ABC) initiative across the country.

As many as 50 municipal corporations across Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states have decided to implement a programme that was successfully tried by the Chennai Corporation, bringing to a halt the annual killing of 20,000 street dogs.

"It has to happen across the country," Vice Chairperson of the Animal Welfare Board of India, Appaji Rao says.

Animal welfare groups People for Animals (PFA) and Blue Cross, along with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the municipal body, in Chennai have led a 10-year programme to sterilise and relocate dogs, instead of killing them.

Animal welfare activists say the Indian pie dog or mongrel is one of the best breeds to keep, it is easy to keep them as pets, and they are good community watch and alarm dogs.

In 1995, activists like Shiranee Pereira, Marieen Vijay and Sethu Vaidyanathan had set up PFA in Chennai. At that time, the Chennai municipality was catching 18,000 to 20,000 dogs a year and killing them at Pulianthope, on the city's outskirt.

The practice has been on since 1932. "It was a British legacy, that's how they thought the street dog had to be tackled," says Rao.

The animal welfare organisations found culling was no solution to the city's rabies problem. Besides being cruel, over the years it was obvious that culling had failed to bring down Chennai's street dog population.

The PFA began lobbying with the corporation to stop the annual killing and adopt the WHO recommended ABC programme. It was in September 1996 that PFA succeeded in convincing the municipal authorities.

It pioneered the animal birth control programme. Now every year, about 8,000 street dogs in Chennai are sterilised and vaccinated. The corporation allowed the killing house to be converted into an ABC dispensary.

"Chennai's is the most successful ABC programme in India. The programme has been so effective that incidence of deaths from rabies has dropped by 87 percent over the last 10 years," Rao adds.

At the time of sterilisation, every street dog is also inoculated.

The municipality has also done major solid waste management in the city. The dogs do not get unlimited food. "There are almost no litters on the city streets," Rao says.

Every street dog has its territory. It is best to let it remain in its territory as a watchdog, welfare activists say.

If not, it is relocated. But while it is allowed to live its life in peace, it is not encouraged to breed. This has also dramatically reduced the number of stray dogs on Chennai streets and incidents of rabies.

For a rabies free India, now these Chennai organisations are seeking public and government support to begin a nationwide campaign.