Despite the hue and cry over stray dog attacks, the residents of Thiruvananthapuram seem to be not very keen on administering anti-rabies vaccine to their pet dogs, with just 342 people turning up to inoculate their canines on the first day of the mass vaccination campaign launched by the city Corporation on Sunday.
The vaccination drive was held at 15 veterinary hospitals across the city. Mayor Arya Rajendran inaugurated the special drive at the veterinary hospital at Vattiyurkavu
The maximum number of vaccinations were witnessed at the veterinary hospital at Pettah where 53 pets received the shots, while Vizhinjam had the lowest number with just two vaccinations. Licenses with a validity period of one year were also provided to the owners of the vaccinated dogs. According to Corporation officials, many still seem to be unaware of the need for vaccinating their pets.
"We had expected at least 500 people to turn up with their pets. Many pet owners assume that they do not need to get their pets vaccinated since they do not come in contact with stray dogs, which is wrong. After the special drive, we will start enforcement measures, with fines for pet owners who do not get their canines vaccinated. On the first day, a majority of the pets which got vaccinated were foreign breeds. There were hardly any local breeds," said a Corporation official.
The inoculation drive will continue for two more days, with the facilities opening at 7 a.m. to enable even office-goers to get their pets vaccinated. After the drive is completed, anti-rabies vaccination will be available on all days during the regular schedule from 10 a.m to 5 p.m.
Mass vaccination
The mass vaccination of stray dogs will start from September 25. In the current phase, the civic body will focus just on vaccinating the strays as the available facilities do not allow a sterilisation drive involving a large number of dogs.
Each stray dog caught has to be kept under observation for two days, after which sterilisation is conducted. After the surgery, the dog has to be kept again under observation for five days. The Corporation currently does not have enough kennels to keep many dogs under observation.
