Careless dog owners to be penalized

Idukki: The Munnar panchayat has decided to impose fines on those who care for dogs without vaccination and licence. “Henceforth, the panchayat will not allow pet dogs without a leash or allow people to let them free in public places. A mass vaccination drive will be conducted for pet dogs a vaccination certificate or licence will be made mandatory for them,” said Munnar panchayath secretary K N Sahajan.Presently, there is no data on the number or ownership details of dogs in the estate regions in Munnar, he added.
Sahajan said that the panchayat will take immediate steps to vaccinate all stray dogs in the region. TOI had on Monday reported about stray dogs posing a threat to wildlife in the region.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Idukki secretary M N Jayachandran recalled how a few years ago when the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) faced a similar threat, the stray dogs there were captured, sterilized and vaccinated. “In Munnar, the dogs mainly arrive from estate areas. Most workers don’t use leashes on the dogs, a major reason for the rise in the number of strays,” he added.