COIMBATORE: While carcasses of culled street dogs continue to surface periodically, many local bodies in the district are dealing with the dog menace in a more humane manner. Many panchayats have now begun to take up sterilization surgery programmes at least once a month despite paucity of funds, reports Pratiksha Ramkumar.

Just a few days ago, 46 carcasses of stray dogs, poisoned to death, were found near Irugur. This forced the Irugur Panchayat to take damage control measures and announce implementation of the ABC programme. NGOs who have tied up with the Coimbatore Corporation – Humane Animal Society and People for Animals – now get around Rs 445 for every dog sterilized.”It covers only 60% of their surgery costs. We raise the remaining money through donations and ensure we keep each dog for three days for post-op care,” says Mini Vasudevan of Humane Animal Society.