Hit by dogcatcher shortage, ABC centres struggle to tackle strays

Corp to collaborate with Goa-based NGO to intensify stray dog vaccination in the city

- ANNA JOSE @Kochi

DESPITE the growing stray-dog menace in the state, only one of the four anti-rabies centres in Ernakulam district is currently fully operational, posing a threat to people's lives and impacting the vaccination of stray dogs in the district.

According to Manoj Muthedan, president of Ernakulam district panchayat, the shortage of dogcatchers has worsened the situation.

Ernakulam has animal birth control (ABC) centres in Mulanthuruthy, Vadavucode, Tripunithura and Brahmapuram. Of these, the Tripunithura and Brahmapuram centres are managed by Tripunithura municipality and Kochi corporation, respectively. Of the four centres, only the Brahmapuram facility is fully operational.