Public Health Veterinary Director P.A.L Harischandra andKotte Municipal Vet Mrs Mendis should face deciplinary inquires

[Guest guest]

The Island 23rd September 2003

Opnion

 

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Violation of Rabies ordinance

 

 

 

In 1964 Chinny Krishna of India introduced the first neuter /return

programme for street dogs in the world ,which was called `ABC ` short for

`Animal Birth Control .The Indian Government accepted the recommendation of

the Animal Welfare Board of India that ABC should become a National policy.

The foes of street dogs ,seeking to replace ABC sterilization and

vaccination programmes with poisoning and catch and kill .This never reduced

the street dog population nor control rabies.Demands for dog killing ,was

supported by Times of India and Deccan Herald were especially prominent in

Surat and Bangalore.

Surat has eliminated the street dogs in 1994.After that the Surat rat

population exploded and the city poisoned rats.Fleas carrying bubonic plague

then leaped from dying rats to humans the most accessible alternate host.The

result was the deadliest outbreak of plague anywhere in the world in half a

century.

It was reported 693 people were infected and 57 died.

In 1999 as a pilot project the Provincial Director of health gave me

permission to use contraceptive injections with rabies vaccine in the

campaign to control the dog population in the Kotte area.

In 1999 after the birth control programme I received information that the

Kotte Municipal Council has a plan to use a dog catching van to control the

dog population .We sent petitions collecting signatures from residents

protesting against that decision.I met Public Health Veterinary Director at

his office and requested him to use birth control methods instead of killing

dogs.He said stray dogs could be controlled only by killing them .I met

local Government commissioner regarding using humane methods to control dog

population but he didn`t agree with me .The public Health Veterinary completed making the dog catching van in 1999.It is estimated that

a sum of 1 to 1.2 milliom rupees is needed to make a dog catching van.

Our country is down in the gutter selling our valuable state departments and

Government institutions .The Kotte Municipality could have borrowed the dog

catching vans in Narahenpita or Colombo.

But purchasing expensive things to Government institutions is far more

profitable to the people who are involved in racket than saving money and

eradicating rabies.

 

Most of the dogs and cats who run along the roads of Sri lanka live in small

houses without walls or fences surrounding their small gardens or without

any garden at all .And happily these dogs like to say `hello` to the

neighbours and relax in the sunlight.A nursing dog was basking inthe

sunlight by the small lane in Obesekarapura on 25th of June 2000.The killer

who came in the dog catching van of Kotte Municipal council injected

strichnine and killed that dog.We are grateful to Saturday Island for

publishing the nice article written by Mr .Shelton Wijesinghe on the 22nd

July 2000 a kind resident of the area.

 

In June 2002 a dog named `Chuti` who lived next door to Kotte Municipal

council was taken away by the dog catching van .Few hours later the owners

went in search of that dog but the officers of the Municipal refused to

show the body..When I inquired the Municipal veterinary surgeon she told

me she kill them immediately.. We suspect that these dogs were victims of

dog meat trade.

On the september 27th 2002 at about 9.30 am some officers of the Health

Department came in a dog catching van to the Dimiyawa Maha Vidyalaya of

Ratnapura started killing dogs in the garden of the school.School children

were pleading the officers to not to kill the dogs as they were immunised

for rabies.

By the time the principal arrived all the innocent dogs were killed.When

Principal asked for an explanation they have scolded the principal .

 

On the 12th of March 2003 Mrs.Wanigasekara who lives in Lake Drive

Rajagiriya opened the door the dog catcher who was with a pole syringe

and her pet dog was dying on the ground .The other pet dog was already

killed using strichnine injection and the body was inside the dog

catching van of the Kotte Municipal Council.As she scolded them .they left

that body with her..The foreigner who is in the neighbour hood has

requested to do that .That killing was done in a private property. She and

I lodged a complain against them at the Welikada police station.We have

complained these incidences to the Local Government Ministry.

They were licenced and immunised for rabies.They had that yellow collar

around their necks which says immunised for rabies.These dogs never atacked

anybody .

The collar given by the Kotte Municipal is made of plastic and painful

for the dog.when they wear that. .From 1999 up to now.the Public Health

Veterinary Director P.AL Harischandra has violated the Rabies ordinance

and the Kotte Municipal Council has wasted our money making a dog

catching van .

They should answer to the owners of the dogs why their dogs were killed

using poison injections.The Health Ministry and the Local Government

Ministry should take deciplinary action against these officers.

The public Health Veterinary Division did not use the rabies oral vacine to

immunize the wild animals and community dogs.As a result in 2001 there was

an outbreak of rabies in the North Western Province.

 

The Government should introduce a breeding licence ,and increase the licence

fee of the pedigre dogs to stop puppy mills. The Government should

introduce new laws to stop puppy mills .

The Proposal for sterilization alone to control the dog population is not

practical as it involves lot of money and time and is not cost effective.As

it would be difficult to neuter all the animals at the same time, they can

be given birth control injections to delay problems until such time as the

surgery could be performed.

This can be easily solved by importing contraceptiv injections through

the State

Pharmaceutical Corporation.These injections could be used with antirabies

vaccination programme.

 

It is very popular in Colombo and Kotte and North Western province .The

Colombo Municpal council is providing the contraceptive injection free of

charge to the female dogs of Colombo residents.

The local authorities can afford to spend the money needed for

contraceptive injections.

 

Kala Santha.