Kerala seeks startups' service to counter growing stray dog menace in state

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Start-Up Mission (KSUM), the nodal agency of the government of Kerala for promoting entrepreneurship has invited applications from startups to control the stray dog menace facing the state. KSUM has decided to pool maximum ideas through 'Ideathalon'. This for the first time that a state has been forced to look up ideas to address the menace of stray dogs.

According to KSUM, it is looking for sustainable solutions that can be leveraged as an effective step to address the problem. KSUM would provide financial and technical support for the selected ideas. The last date for submitting the application is set as October 10.

KSUM had also released a logo for the Ideathalon with the catchphrase 'barking dogs seldom bite'. The State government's action came after the tough stand taken by the Supreme Court and Kerala High Court on the issue of stray dog attacks against the people. Within days after inviting the application, KSUM started to receive applications, said Vishal. B, Technical Officer of the mission to Madhyamam Online English. 'The idea was hatched after a series of discussions between the IT secretary Rathan Khelkar who is also the Chairman of the mission, and the CEO of KSUM Anoop Ambika. We will organize a Hackathon for the participants to prove how good and practical their ideas are; we would also lend a helping hand to the selected ones with financial and technical support, he added.

The State government was still now reliant upon the Animal Birth Control program (ABC) to control the growing number of stray dogs. But due to the lack of enough dog catchers and the failure to strictly implement the ABC project, man- the dog conflict had entered new levels with increasing death of people due to rabies. There were also incidents where stray dogs attacked kids, women and older people. According to the Local Self-government (LSG) department, there are more than four lakh stray dogs in Kerala and only less than a hundred dog catchers.

On September 23, former Kerala High court judge Justice Siri Jagan, appointed by the apex court to study the stray dog issue in Kerala, submitted his report after the Supreme Court asked for a status report. According to the report, dog bite cases have gone up in recent years. In 2017, the number of dog bite cases was 1,35,749, but it went up to 1,48,889 in 2018. In 2020 the number of dog bites (1,60,483) was fewer than in 2019 (1,61,055). But in 2021 it again rose to 2,21,379. As per the report, till August 2022, 1,96,552 people were bitten by stray dogs. Justice Siri Jagan had also suggested that 'it is imperative to find some means for the immediate reduction of the stray dogs in the State to a manageable level, on a war footing'. It also warns that If the state fails, then it is likely that people may take law into their own hands.

During the time of Covid 19 lockdown in the state, when people were forced to sit inside their houses and schools had been shut down, there was a surge in pet adoption, especially dogs. But once the lockdown was lifted and offices and schools were re-opened, many of the pets became a burden for the families, and people started leaving the dogs in the streets. 'Once out in the streets, away from the safety of homes, these dogs started to show aggressive behaviour because of lack of food and protection', said a veterinary doctor. 'The absence of an effective birth control mechanism also worsened the situation, the doctor added.