Exterminate dogs that maul people: Karnataka High Court

Taking a serious view of the stray dog menace in the city, Karnataka High Court today ordered extermination of dogs which have mauled or bitten children or adults.

Pronouncing its verdict on a PIL on the menace and seeking compensation for those bitten or mauled by stray dogs, the division bench, headed by Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen also directed civic body Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to sterilise and vaccinate stray dogs regularly by holding additional camps.

Observing that Municipal Solid Waste is not the cause for the menace, it directed BBMP to frame guidelines to grant compensation to victims and to set up a complaint cell in various zonal offices.

"According to Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules 2001, all healthy stray dogs within the jurisdiction of BBMP have to be sterilised or vaccinated by animal welfare organisation and the monitoring committee", the court said.

It advised BBMP to entrust the responsibility of sterilisation and vaccination to NGOs or other agencies in a decentralised manner. The report on their activities must be submitted to the civic body, the court said.

"Stray dogs which are incurably ill or mortally wounded as diagnosed by qualified veterinarians are to be exterminated according to ABC rules",it stated,adding furious or dumb rabid dogs are to be dealt as per Rule 10 of ABC rules.

The rule states that on getting complaints, such dogs should be caught by the local authority,isolated and inspected by a veterinary surgeon appointed by local authorities and a representative from an Animal Welfare Organisation.

If dogs are found having high probability of having rabies they should be isolated till dying a natural death. If they are found not having rabies, but some other disease, the dogs should be handed over to the AWOs.

The court also stated that dog owners must ensure their pets do not become a nuisance to the public and must not let loose them on the streets.

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