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A dog’s death definitely worse than a dog’s life
Draft legislation on dogs: Is it a Kill Bill?
By Marisa de Silva
“Catch and Kill” or “Catch, vaccinate, sterilise and re-home”? The conflict between animal welfare organisations and municipal authorities continues uncannily, as a result of the lingering stray dog problem. Both parties concede however that killing canines is no way out.

Now it’s dog affairs by committee. The Animal Welfare Trust (AWT), a group of animal rights activists joined together under one umbrella, are currently lobbying for a Central Committee comprising Colombo Municipal Council, Medical Officers of Health and members of animal welfare organizations to discuss effective means of dealing with this problem and the feasibility of the implementation of their plans. The proposed committee would also be authorised to look into the organization, management and supervision of the operations of the Dog Pound. Therefore, the AWT insists that there be complete transparency with regard to the functions of the Dog Pound --- as only then will it be possible to work efficiently and effectively together. This proposed committee would also see to the re-homing of dogs brought to the Pound, thus avoiding over crowding and the policy of expedient killing.

AWT had meetings with the Mayor and jointly agreed on a one month “no kill” policy, during which time animal welfare organisations would sterilise and vaccinate dogs on an area-by-area basis. Initially the policy was to run the duration of February. At the end of this month the Minister of Health, upon reviewing their work had extended the “no kill” policy indefinitely – AWT officials say. However, Dr. S.D. Eleperuma, Chief Municipal Veterinary Surgeon – Colombo Municipal Council, claims that he had no knowledge of such an extension and that he was only informed of a one month “no kill” moratorium during which time, they had relaxed their “catch and kill” programmes. However, now “things are back to normal and seizing and eliminating dogs has gone back to being a regular practice”, he said.

AWT said that during the initial phase of the “no kill” policy, the Dog Pound was snaring stray dogs based on complaints by residents. Captured dogs were kept at the Pound. Thereafter, animal activists had re-homed them as and when suitable homes were found for the dogs. Animal lovers were also permitted to visit the Pound regularly, to feed the dogs and help maintain the premises. During this time, the AWT had also observed that there wasn’t a single case of rabies at the Pound.

In their capacity as frequent visitors to the Pound, they have also noted its deplorable state and the inhumane conditions under which the dogs are kept. “Dogs are not properly segregated and about 15-20 dogs are herded into one stall, thus resulting in the stronger dogs in the cage dominating all the food, leaving the weaker dogs with little or nothing. The weaker ones are also attacked, exposing them to disease and infection”, said a member of the AWT. They also don’t have access to adequate food and clean water as only a few scraps and leftovers from the abattoir are thrown into the stalls, which are covered in faeces and urine. In addition, the intolerable stench is made worse by the fact that the stalls are not cleaned and disinfected regularly and have therefore become very dirty and squalid.

Dog owners too need to be more responsible and take maximum precautions by ensuring that their pets are sterilized (unless they are dog breeders) and vaccinated, thus doing their fair share in easing the stray dog problem, say the AWT. If by chance, a domestic pet does have puppies that cannot be accommodated at home; owners should take the trouble to re-home these dogs with good owners, rather than merely dump them on the road or near a temple premises. According to AWT if dog owners do their bit, half the battle can be won.

The “Catch and Kill” policy practised by Municipal authorities has failed to show any results over time, says the AWT. The policy has neither reduced the stray dog population nor eliminated the incidence of rabies. The only means of achieving these goals is by carrying out a comprehensive and systematic sterilization and immunization programme under a guarantee of a definite “No Kill” policy, adds a member of the AWT. It’s not just the least that can be done for man’s best friend, its also the least that can be done all round.

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