Citizens Opposition to BBMP (Municipal Corporation of Bangalore)s Proposal to Kill Stray Dogs in Bangalore

We, a group of concerned citizens, request a proper investigation into the developments in Bangalore, based on the Bagalur incident of the one year old boy Prashanto's death and to do the needful to protect our street dogs from inhumane measures to control their population.

We would like to bring to your kind attention the following points discussed in a meeting held by the BBMPs Animal Husbandry Department, as reported by Deccan Herald newspaper, dated 15th January 2011(Page3).

1) Law Minister Mr.Suresh Kumar said the department will prepare a feasibility report for culling of canines in a month.
2) It was suggested to look into the option of killing 50\% of stray dogs and sterilizing the rest.
3) Following suggestions from the corporators, the minister said dog pounds will also be considered to check the menace. The Corporation Commissioner asked the department to identify land of about 30 acres for this purpose.

Our objections and REQUESTS to the above points are as follows:

1. It seems to be a false story that stray dogs were responsible for the death of the child.
a) According to Commission for Protection of Child Rights, that visited the spot of the incident and inspected, We also got conflicting reports on the cause of the death of the child. According to Commission Chairperson Nina Nayak, Some of the people living there said the contractor was responsible for the death of the child. Some others told us that the father was drunk and the fight between the parents might have led to it. But the FIR states that the child died due to dog bite. We have ordered for a detailed inquiry. (From Times of India newspaper, Bangalore, 14th January 2011).
b) NO EYE WITNESS to the incident to prove that the boy was dragged by dogs.
Udaya Vaarthegalu (local TV channel) in its late night edition has clearly said that the boy's body was found ONLY in the morning as his parents started looking for the missing boy. The reporter even said the parents might have not heard the cries of the boy as they must have been in deep sleep after the day's hard labour.
c) According to DNA newspaper 13th Jan 2011, the boy's sister, Urmila brings out valid points like, the boy's cries were not heard, nor were the dog barks heard.
d) BBMP Assistant Director (AH) Dr. Umendra Reddy, who visited the spot, said it was unlikely that the child would have died after being mauled by a pack of dogs as the boy's cries were not heard, the limbs are missing but no scars on the body.(Deccan Herald , 14th January 2011)
e) The area surrounding the site of death is a jungle, so the attack could have been by wild animals too.

Please conduct a proper post-mortem and investigation into the cause of the boys death. All circumstantial evidence and clinical evidence seem to point to the fact that the boy was not killed by stray dogs.

2. We would like to point out that the incident has taken place outside Bangalore city limits where ABC program is NOT implemented. That being the case, it is baseless that Law Minister Mr.Suresh Kumar suggests culling of canines inside the City where the street dog population is under control. Instead, the ABC program should be implemented in the area where the event took place.

3. Killing 50\% of stray dogs is highly unethical and impractical as the dog numbers are already controlled in the BBMP limits, a sudden vacuum created by the killing the dogs, will be filled by unsterilized, unfamiliar, feral dogs within a short span of time.

4. We need to have a stable street dog population in our own interest to guard against new feral dogs and rodents. Hence there is NO need to start any pound as these community dogs are living in harmony with people and have a right to live on our streets.

5. The Supreme Court has ordered that stray dogs cannot be culled, so any move to cull stray dogs will be illegal.

6. Again, if stray dog management is being raised as a serious issue repeatedly, then has the Government got an external agency to audit the Animal Birth Control (ABC) projects over the years to ensure the quality and efficiency of ABC projects? Can these audit reports be released to the public?

The lives of street dogs are already threatened in Bangalore due to so many ill-informed, unprobed, unsolved issues like the above said one where dogs are made scape-goats. We do not want to be silent witnesses to another mayhem on street dogs in Bangalore, hence we submit this petition.