Kerala govt snubs Maneka to go ahead with dog culling as 3 more kids attacked by strays

The three children are undergoing treatment at the government medical college hospital in Thrissur, police said.
Kerala govt snubs Maneka to go ahead with dog culling as 3 more kids attacked by strays
Kerala govt snubs Maneka to go ahead with dog culling as 3 more kids attacked by strays
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The Kerala government on Friday virtually brushed aside Union minister Maneka Gandhi's opposition to its proposal to cull violent dogs, saying it will go ahead with its resolve to check dangerous canines even as three more children were injured by stray dogs.

Three children, including a five-year-old boy, were injured when stray dogs attacked them in Thrissur district, the latest in a number of such incidents witnessed in the state in recent days.

Ayus suffered serious dog bites at Poyyil while Athul Krishna (12) and Jesin (8) of the same locality were left with bleeding injuries in different incidents of dog attacks last night, police said on Friday.

The three children are undergoing treatment at the government medical college hospital in Thrissur, police said.

Ayus was the worst affected with injuries on the face, lips and eyes. Doctors were planning to give counselling also to Ayus, who is in a state of shock after the sudden attack by the dogs, they said.

The state has been witnessing a spurt in attacks by street dogs in recent days, prompting the government to announce various measures, including culling of violent dogs, to check the menace.

A four-year-old boy was badly mauled on his lower jaw by a pack of street dogs in Kollam district two days ago. His mother was also injured when dogs attacked her as she tried to chase them away.

The incident came days after a 65-year-old woman was mauled to death by a pack of dogs at the coastal hamlet Pullivilla near Thrissur.

Meanwhile, Stray Dog-Free Movement, an outfit campaigning against stray dog menace, today asked the state government to take immediate steps to cull violent dogs.

Its Chairman and industrialist Kochouseph Chittilappilly said the outfit would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi detailing the dangers posed by stray dogs in the state.

Union Minister Maneka Gandhi's reported remarks that the dogs had attacked the hapless woman at Pulluvila as she had meat in her hand was an insult to all Keralites, he said.

"There is no change in the state government's decision to tackle violent street dogs," Local Administration Minister K T Jaleel said, reacting to Gandhi's statement that the move to cull the dogs was "unlawful and unscientific".

The government is contemplating how to overcome the problems caused by the street dogs and sterilisation process will be also strengthened, he told reporters in Kottayam.

"Violent dogs would be handled the way they should be handled," he said, noting each person would have an opinion on the law in this regard.

However, the minister said the wishes of animal and environmental lovers also would be taken into consideration.

Taking a dig at Gandhi, Jaleel said, "How can people talk about being humane to animals when they did not have compassion towards human beings. First of all one needs to have love towards fellow human beings.

"It is not our policy to kill dogs...What we are contemplating is how to overcome the problems," he added.

In the wake of the recent death of a 65-year old woman who was attacked by a pack of dogs, the government has announced steps, including culling violent dogs.

Meanwhile, stray dog attacks continued in different parts of the state with three children, including a five-year old boy, suffering injuries due to dog bites in Thrissur district last night.

The children were undergoing treatment at the Medical College Hospital in Thrissur, police said.

In a related development, Stray Dog-Free Movement, an outfit campaigning against stray dog menace, asked the state government to take immediate steps to cull violent dogs.

Its Chairman and industrialist Kochouseph Chittilappilly said the outfit would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi detailing the dangers posed by stray dogs in the state.

The stray dog menace has became a major issue in the state following the death of the 65-year-old woman after being attacked by dogs at coastal hamlet Pullivilla near Thiruvananthapuram last week.

According to a report submitted in the Supreme Court recently in a connected case, more than one lakh people in Kerala have been bitten by dogs in 2015-16.

The report has also said there were about 2.5 lakh street dogs in the state.

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