The Kannur district panchayat in Kerala moved the Supreme Court on Monday for permission to euthanise “suspected rabid” and “extremely dangerous” stray dogs in its limits.
The trigger, said the petition filed through district panchayat president P.P. Divya, represented by advocate Subhash Chandran K.R., is the death of a 11-year-old autistic child.
The petition said the boy was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Kannur on June 11.
“The inquest and autopsy report of the deceased child revealed the horrific nature of the attack,” the plea said.
The plea said 5,794 cases of stray dog attacks were reported in 2019, 3,951 cases in 2020, 7,927 cases in 2021, 11,776 cases were reported in 2022 and 6,276 cases up to June 2023 in Kannur itself.
The district panchayat said there were about 28,000 strays within its limits.
“It is pertinent to mention that 65 ducks and a large number of domestic animals have been killed by the violent stray dogs recently in the State,” the petition underscored.
It said the menace has continued despite “every effort to control stray dogs’ menace within the local limits”.
“Incidents of stray dog attacks and road accidents due to collision with dogs are increasing day by day within the district panchayat area as well as throughout the State,” the petition rued.
Recently, advocate V.K. Biju had also made an urgent mentioning before the Supreme Court to take up the issue of stray dog attacks on school children, daily wagers and women in the State.
“Kerala has become dogs’ own country,” Mr. Biju had submitted.
The lawyer had drawn attention to how the apex court formed a committee in 2016 under former Kerala High Court judge, Justice S. Srijagan, to hear dog-bite victims, check the gravity of their injuries and keep an eagle eye over the available treatment and facilities for them.
