Why Kerala plans to cull ‘dangerous’ stray dogs
The state has recorded 122,321 stray dog bite cases so far this year and lost 140 citizens to such attacks since 2016
Kerala’s long and unsuccessful battle against the threat posed by stray dogs to citizens has led the state government to in principle agree to invoke legal provisions to cull ‘dangerous’ strays. The government is considering using Section 133 (f) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) to empower district magistrates to issue orders to “destroy, confine or dispose of dangerous animal(s)”.
While strays have been a longstanding problem, the immediate trigger for the move was the mauling to death of a differently-abled boy in Muzhappilangad in Kannur district by stray dogs on June 11. The autopsy report stated deep injuries from dog bites behind the 11-year-old victim’s neck and ears and on his thighs.
According to the animal husbandry department, around 140 people have died in stray dog attacks since 2016 and over a million were injured. The problem is only growing. “Kerala reported 135,749 dog bite cases in 2017, 148,365 in 2018, 161,050 in 2019, 160,483 in 2020, 221,379 in 2021 and 223,489 in 2022,” said a senior animal husbandry department official. This year, 122,321 cases have been reported so far.
Amidst the outcry over the boy’s death in Kannur, the state government declared a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the family of Sheebakumari, who died of rabies following a dog bite in Kozhikode in March. The compensation was given from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund.
After the horrific death in Kannur, the district panchayat, on June 20, moved an interlocutory petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Kerala High Court’s 2015 verdict that had mandated approval from the Supreme Court before mercy killing of stray dogs in the district. The petition highlighted the high number of stray dog attacks in the district—5,794 cases in 2019, 3,951 in 2020, 7,927 in 2021, 11,776 in 2022 and 6,276 cases in 2023 (till June 19). The petition also said 28,000 stray dogs were present in the district. The court issued a notice to the Kerala government and other respondents and posted the next hearing for July 12.
Meanwhile, the state government convened a meeting to deal with the crisis and directed local self-government minister M.B. Rajesh and animal husbandry minister J. Chinchu Rani to work out the modalities to cull strays that posed a threat to public life. “With the alarming rise in stray dog attacks, we are planning to invoke Section 133 (f) of CrPc, which empowers district magistrates to cull dangerous animals to protect human lives. Aggrieved people can approach district collectors and submit applications for the culling of dangerous animals. The district collectors are being directed to take action,” Rajesh told INDIA TODAY.
According to Chinchu Rani, stray dogs had become a menace and most of the victims of dog bites were children or the elderly.
Among the reasons behind the rising stray dog population in Kerala are poor management of waste, which attracts dogs, and inadequate sterilisation. The Animal Birth Control Project, initiated by the animal husbandry department, has sterilised over 20,000 dogs since 2016 but the number of strays on the streets is far higher.
While political parties and local self-government bodies have welcomed the government’s decision to invoke legal provisions for culling dangerous strays, animal welfare groups have criticised the move. Latha Indira, secretary, People for Animals, Thiruvananthapuram, said her organisation will approach the Supreme Court against the government’s move.
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