Kerala continues to kill stray dogs!

Unfortunately, the government of Kerala, the state that promotes itself as God's Own Country', has been killing stray dogs in the most cruel of manners.

Recently the reports of stray dogs being killed in Kerala has increased enormously. See some of the links mentioned below.

Please note that these killings are completely against the laws of India. Tourist that visit Kerala, while knowing that this goes on, have the blood of these dogs (and other animals) on their hands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj00Q3n_ADU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W78O29U5h4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbddYO-BRjw
http://picasaweb.google.com/rishidev...tleFarming2007
http://picasaweb.google.com/rishidev000/Kerela
http://picasaweb.google.com/rishidev...sPressCoverage
http://keralatourism.strays.in/

But then so would all tourists to India of some peoples that live there. As they would to many another country.

I sympathize with the plight, but, overstating the case won't be likely to help.

this is what most countries in the west do to their unwanted pets. I understand that in the USA, millions of unwanted pets are killed year by govt authorities.

i agree too. many (or most) places in india perform selective abortion of female foetuses, so ANY visitor to india would have blood on their hands too...

the concern is valid, but the conclusion is not.

Lets see, if you were born in Germany after 1940 you personally stuffed people into gas chambers. Fanatics of any stripe..

Apparently Thrissur has more stray dogs than most places in Kerala. To be honest if I could I would not mind kiling a few dogs myself (but as it is illegal, I won't). To all those feeling sorry for the dogs, just try walking down the street with strays all around.

Kerala, God's Own Country is only half the phrase , the rest is 'God's own Country-Devil's own people!

The excuse for killing stray dogs just because they are large in numbers, according to me, is nothing but a projection of the backwardness and the regressive attitude of the individual / society.

India is going through a population crisis. It doesn't mean we should start killing people but can't since its illegal. Also, being a human being in no way gives us a right to casually dismiss the right of another living creature to live.

There are sane and humane ways to control the population of strays like relocating them to shelters, sterilization and adoption. Unfortunately, for most of the people its too much of an effort and too much of a thought process to be involved in.

And yes...I've walked down streets full of strays and I've spent hours at the shelters among hundreds of strays...more than any street in the country can accommodate. Not once have I felt threatened. Its the attitude you show to them, is what you receive.

I disagree with your comparison, but I prefer the limited resources available to be used to help humans rather than animals.

Yes, I walk down a street with strays all around, and don't feel any inclination to kill anything except mosquitoes.

I guess its just me, I am scared of dogs, and strays make me even more uncomfortable.

If you come to think of it, its not about "limited available resources". It comes down to who actually puts an effort.

I'm sure the Government of Kerala has no dearth of resources as its among the richest states in the country. Roping in a few established NGOs to sterlize the dogs would cause hardly an impact on the annual expenditure quota sanctioned by the state for the overall development of the state.

As for an individual, if one takes the responsibility, he/she can get a dog spayed for hardly a few hundred rupees if not free. But that seems a lot since killing them is an easier and a quick solution.

It also appalls me to notice how people have a preferential attitude towards the pedigreed dogs. In India, unfortunately we don't have the culture to adopt strays from shelters. Rather we choose to spend thousands to buy a pedigree dog from any of the despicable 'puppy mills' thriving all over the world.

So yes, I don't believe that our country or we for that matter are so short in resources that we can't control the stray population in a humane way.

If it weren't for humans, the resources would not have been limited in the first place.

very right, if someone feels scared and uncomfortable then killing those stray dogs isn't the option to go for.

Few years back, I was too scared of one big street dog, that scared that I wasn't getting in our home till that dog wasn't leaving, but I never thought to kill that scary animal. (maybe that dog thought for me)

Just read yesterdays Hindu properly, and I take back what I said above. Apparently there are over a 1000 cases of dog bites in Thrissur district every month. Most of the victims are elderly and young children.

Whilst I agree children may tease the dogs I seriously doubt that the elderly will.

So lets hope the collector listens to the people of Thrissur and agrees to a temporary shoot on sight policy.

At the risk of devaluing my own argument I find it hard to believe that thre are over a 1000 cases per month, this number seems to be extraordinarily high.

About right, I would say. The Hindu reported last year that every day, about 25 to 40 persons visit hospitals in TVM for dog bite treatment.