Canine conflict haunts Secunderabad lanes

SECUNDERABAD: Stray

dogs

that bark during the night and chase strangers and kids have been giving residents of some areas parts of Secunderbad sleepless nights. In a survey conducted by TOI in association with Varenia CIMS, 74% people claimed that dog menace was a serious issue in Secunderabad to ‘some extent’ and needs to be tackled.

Talking to TOI, BT Srinivas, general secretary of

Resident Welfare Association

, Secunderabad, said, “Some people living in independent al houses complain of dogs entering their compounds and raiding garbage cans left outside the house. They also eat garbage left behind on the streets, making the area dirty. Many residents complain of dogs barking at night and fighting among themselves or chasing people. There have also been a few cases of biting.”

Most complaints are handled by officials of the Secunderabad Cantonment who pick dogs and gets them sterilised. According to authorities, 10-15 cases of dog aggression are reported in the Cantonment area, daily.

Aanchal Khanna, a Secunderabad resident and

animal welfare

activist, said that the increase in dog population happens because the authorities that pick dogs for sterilisation often end up relocating them. “As dogs are known to be territorial in nature, the new dogs often end up fighting with the area’s alpha dogs. I used to feed 40 dogs in my colony. Gradually, the number grew and now it stands at 60. This increase did not happen only because of dogs breeding, but also because dogs from other areas were relocated here. I have seen new dogs in my area and the familiar ones disappearing,” said Aanchal.

Speaking on the issue of dogs chasing people and vehicles, Aanchal said that most dogs either do it out of fear or because had undergone trauma in the past.

Stating that relocation was a crime as per the Animal Welfare Act, Aanchal and Raseel Ahluwalia, another animal activist, said that those dogs taken for sterilisation must be returned to the same locality from where they were picked up.

M Devender, superintendent of solid waste management at cantonment, said, “Many people want a dog-free locality. Those who register complaints with us want to get rid of the dogs. We cannot do that because it’s a crime.”

When asked how the issue can be controlled, activists said the only way was to befriend dogs by providing them with water and food. Also, kids must be taught to be friendly towards dogs. But most important was to get them sterilised, as it makes dogs calmer.

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