Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Keeping a note on the rapid increase in dog bite cases in the city, Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) began their drive for installing feeders city-wide where food and water will be provided to strays. So far, the project is in pilot mode and after observing the impact it will be implemented in each and every area of the city. In the first phase, the corporation has installed feeding pots as well as water pots at 50 places so that dogs of those areas can get food and water.
However, on this demand of animal lovers, the responsibility of keeping food and water in pots installed by the corporation will have to be taken up by animal lovers of that area. Volunteers working for street dogs as well as other animals in the city had recently proposed to the municipal corporation in a meeting held in the presence of the then Municipal Commissioner Harshika Singh regarding increasing dog bites in the city that street dogs are becoming aggressive due to lack of food and water and people are falling prey to dog bites.
The volunteers proposed if food arrangements are made for dogs along with drinking water, then incidents of dog bites in the city can be reduced. The corporation began the pilot project on this proposal. For the project, the municipal corporation has identified hotspots where dog bite cases are reported very often.
The organisations running under Animal Birth Control Programme (ABC Programme) in the city with the cooperation of the IMC have so far installed these pots in Kila Maidan, Marimata, Veterinary Hospital of MOG Line, GPO, Patthar Godown area and other several areas. If positive results are obtained, such pots will be installed in the entire city.
Responsibility to monitor, keep food and water
Local animal lovers will make arrangements to keep food and water in these pots. Along with this, they will also see how much impact the initiative is having on dogs. If there is a big difference, then it will be implemented throughout the city.
Piped feeders installed
For the time-being, corporation installed pots (made of pipes) and the responsibility of keeping food and water in them fell on local feeders.
4k to 5k dogs bite humans every month
As per records of dog bite incidents reported in the city, around 4k to 5k dog bite cases are reported in city every month. On an average, 140 to 170 people become victims of dog bites daily.
