Free-roaming strays pose added risk to two-wheeler riders and pedestrians

Last week, a battalion of strays ambushed 67-year-old Chandran extracurricular his location astatine Vettamukku, grievously injuring his look and eye. Videos of thoroughfare dogs cornering children connected their mode to school, straying into carriageways, chasing two-wheeler riders and sending them disconnected equilibrium person flooded societal media, prompting nationalist indignation implicit the perceived nonaccomplishment of civic authorities to power the menace.

According to the State Crime Records Bureau, which updates its statistic online periodically, two-wheelers relationship for implicit 53 per cent of the roadworthy accidents, including fatalities, reported successful Thiruvananthapuram district. 

Assistant Commissioner of Traffic (South), Suresh Kumar, said roaming packs of dogs airs an further hazard to a ample conception of families who trust connected two-wheelers for their regular commute. He noted that free-roaming dogs often pursuit two-wheeler riders, particularly during the acheronian hours, earnestly endangering their information and that of different roadworthy users. “The mishap hazard doubles erstwhile a panicked operator accelerates to outpace the chasing dogs. Ideally, the rider should not panic, though it is not ever easy, and should debar losing power of the vehicle”, helium said.

Feeding strays

Mr. Kumar identified improper garbage disposal and besides the signifier of feeding strays connected roadworthy sides arsenic the main reasons for the increasing canine menace. “The assemblage tin assistance the municipal authorities mitigate the occupation incrementally by ensuring due disposal of room waste, avoiding littering, and adopting stray puppies alternatively of purchasing pricey expensive, high-pedigree breeds”, helium says. 

Early-morning walkers who predominant the Kanakakunnu Palace and the Museum grounds person posted pictures connected societal media showing individuals littering the locality with slaughter discarded to anonymously provender stray dogs. Rahul Raveendran, a horticulturalist, said strays person often chased aboriginal greeting joggers and walkers who sojourn the locality. 

M.R. Gopan, chairperson of the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation’s Health Standing Committee, says “gaps” successful sterilisation and carnal commencement power measures person aggravated the thoroughfare canine menace. Nevertheless, helium claimed that the civic authorities were moving to ethically trim the stray canine colonisation successful a humane manner. 

He said the ABC centres successful Pettah and Vandithanam person upped the sterilisation numbers. The Corporation planned to unfastened much thoroughfare canine shelters and sterilisation centres to mitigate the issue. He said the thrust would absorption connected pedestrian-dense localities, including schools, markets, hospitals, autobus stands, railway stations and nationalist parks. 

The author, Sreenand, is an intern astatine The Hindu, Thiruvananthapuram