Animal Birth Control goes astray

Monday . March 15, 2010

The city’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme for stray dogs is a farce, claimed an animal rights’ activist who filed a Right to Information (RTI) query on the subject.

Sunish Subramanian Kunju, founder and secretary of Plant and Animal Welfare Society, who filed the RTI application, was shocked to find that the non-governmental organisations that implement the birth control programme are also on the committee that monitors it.

“This is not correct,” Kunju said. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), however, refuted this saying that the monitoring committee was formed according to the directions of the high court. “It is not that the NGOs that are on the committee are completely responsible for monitoring the programme. There are senior BMC officials who are also on the committee,” BMC’s Executive Health Officer, Dr Girish Ambe, said.

The Bombay High Court had laid down the guidelines for dealing with stray dogs and the methodology for their population control, following a writ petition.

“The monitoring committee of the animal birth control programme should comprise those who do not implement the birth control programme. This way, one can ensure transparency and efficiency,” added Kunju. He has written to the BMC highlighting the improper implementation of the programme. According to his suggestion, the birth control centres should be entrusted with an area of functioning to ensure that proper and timely action can be taken. The non-governmental organization nearest to a particular zone [out of BMC zones] should be in-charge only of that zone. “An NGO assigned Borivali comes to Mulund just to complete the given quota, this leads to problems,” he added.

The increased rubbish piles and buildings have made an apt urban habitat for stray dogs that have multiplied to alarming numbers and even cause safety problems in some areas. Endeavours to prevent animal cruelty should perhaps now also look into scientific and humane ways of controlling the menacing increase in number of stray dogs.