Kozhikode Corpn. struggles to identify land for dog park

The Kozhikode Corporation’s plan to open a shelter for stray dogs has hit a roadblock, with the civic body struggling to identify a suitable land for the project. The issue of land also became a bone of contention at a council meeting held recently.

As the Corporation could not identify suitable land in its possession for the proposed ‘dog park,’ it has invited expressions of interest from private parties to lease out their land. “It could even be outside the city limits, but not too far, as stray dogs cannot be moved beyond six kilometres of their territory as per the Animal Birth Control [ABC] rules,” said S. Jayasree, health standing committee chairperson of the Corporation.

However, the opposition councillors insisted that the dog park should be built on land under the Corporation’s possession and staged a walkout to press their demand.

The Corporation has allocated funds for the dog park over the past three years, but identifying suitable land has remained a challenge. “The dog park should have vehicle access and be located away from densely populated areas. None of the plots under the Corporation’s possession fits the bill,” Ms. Jayasree explained.

The civic body has also faced stiff public opposition over the issue. Its attempt to set up ten additional kennels at the ABC Centre in Poolakkadavu to house more dogs was resisted on the grounds that it would increase the disturbance already caused by the dogs at the centre.

The Corporation has been implementing the ABC programme since 2019. Dr. Sreeshma V. S., the veterinary officer in charge of the project, told the council meeting that the Corporation had sterilised and vaccinated more than 14,000 dogs over the past six years and had been able to control the multiplication of stray dogs to a great extent.

Meanwhile, Ms. Jayasree said that the recent Supreme Court ruling, which allows local bodies to adopt suitable methods to tackle the stray dog issue in line with the ABC guidelines and bans public feeding of stray dogs, has come as a shot in the arm for the Corporation.