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After subsidised air guns, gold coins for culling stray dogs in Kerala
The alumni association of a prominent college said it will give gold coins to the civic authorities who kill the maximum number of stray dogs till December 10 in Kerala, where four people have lost their lives and over 700 have been injured in canine attacks in the last four months.
The alumni association of a prominent college said it will give gold coins to the civic authorities that kill the maximum number of stray dogs till December 10 in Kerala, where four people have lost their lives and over 700 have been injured in canine attacks in the last four months.
The outfit had hit headlines recently for providing air guns at subsidised rates to deal with violent dogs.
In the wake of the increasing stray dog menace in the state, office bearers of the Old Students Welfare Association of Pala-based St Thomas College said the “gift” would be given to the heads of panchayats and municipalities across the state where most stray dogs are killed.
Read | 40 strays culled in Kerala after dogs maul 90-yr-old to death
Earlier, cash incentives were also offered by a state-based industrialist for culling dogs.
“We are planning to give the gift to panchayat presidents and municipality chairmen in the state who lead in killing maximum number of stray dogs. Our aim is to ensure the safety of people from violent canines,” James Pambaykkal, association general secretary, told PTI.
Accusing the government of inactivity on the stray dog issue, he said the association was attempting to end the menace with the participation of people.
Read | Political party workers kill stray dogs, parade carcasses in Kerala
The gold coins would be bought with the contributions of the representatives of the 1,200-member association, he said.
The weight of the coins would be decided according to the total amount collected, James, a physics post-grad who passed out from the college in 1984, said.
He said the civic authorities who apply for the gold coins should submit day-to-day figures of the culled dogs.
The stray dog issue in the state came into the limelight after the gruesome killing of 90-year-old Raghavan, who was mauled to death by a pack of street dogs at Varkala on October 26.
Read | ‘Subsidy offer’ for guns to tackle Kerala’s stray dog menace
According to government figures, four people were killed in the last four months in stray dog attacks and 701 people, including 175 children, were injured across the state.
This year, 53,000 people were treated for dog bites in government medical college hospitals alone.
As many as 88,172 suffered dog bites in 2013 while it was 1,19,119 in 2014 and 47,156 in 2015 in the state, the figures added.
