Sunil Lohan
Students for Streeties and animal welfare activists have appealed to the Karnataka government to strengthen the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme and promote humane,scientific management of community dogs instead of confining them in permanent pounds.
The appeal was made at a press conference organised at the Bangalore Press Club,attended by at least 30 people,including students and animal welfare advocates.
The event began with a visualisation exercise intended to foster empathy towards community dogs.A cared-for community dog from the locality also joined the panel on stage.
During the subsequent panel discussion,participants urged Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi to support the effective implementation of the ABC Rules and expand animal birth control and anti-rabies vaccination programmes across all 31 districts of the state.
The speakers called for existing dog pounds to be used as temporary care facilities for dogs undergoing sterilisation,vaccination and post-operative recovery, rather than as permanent confinement centres.
They also opposed the proposed use of five pounds under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) as permanent holding facilities for community dogs.
According to the organisers, only around 10 per cent of Karnataka’s dog population has been sterilised and vaccinated.
They expressed concern that dogs were being taken to pounds without adequate infrastructure to ensure their health and welfare.
“When the whole country is yet to set up proper pounds, why is Bengaluru in such a hurry to do this?” participants asked, questioning the priority being given to permanent confinement instead of expanding sterilisation and vaccination facilities.
The student community urged the authorities to listen to young people’s concerns and adopt an approach that balances public safety with animal welfare.
The speakers emphasised the need for stronger veterinary infrastructure,effective implementation of the ABC programme and peaceful coexistence between people and community dogs.
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi,the organisers reiterated that a society’s moral progress could be judged by how it treats animals.
They called on Karnataka to demonstrate a model of responsible urban animal management based on compassion,scientific intervention and coexistence.
The organisers urged the state government to reconsider the proposed approach to dog pounds and prioritise long-term,humane solutions to community dog management.
