Tamil Nadu govt urged to find ways for dog population control

COIMBATORE: As the call for action against dog attacks is growing louder, the political party leaders in the Western region have in turn joined the issue with farmers seeking measures to control the dog population, provide compensation, and safeguard cattle from the fury of dogs.

“Farmers are distressed as their sheep have been fatally attacked by stray dogs causing severe economic hardship. They depend entirely on livestock for their livelihood,” said Karthikeya Sivasenapathy, chairman of Non-Resident Tamils Welfare Board, in a letter to the Chief Secretary of the state government.

Claiming that farmers have lost a significant number of sheep in attacks and that their financial stability is at risk, Karthikeya Sivasenapathy sought the state government to provide immediate compensation to the affected farmers to mitigate their losses.

“Preventive measures including vaccination drives and population control initiatives should be taken to address the issue of stray dog attacks. The state government should direct district administration authorities to conduct field assessments and extend required assistance to farmers. Necessary steps should be taken to provide justice to the affected farmers and ensure the wellbeing of our rural communities,” he said.

Minister for Housing and Urban Development S Muthusamy, who toured around to meet affected farmers to assess the gravity of the situation in Tirupur and Erode districts, had assured of concrete action by involving multiple departments to control population of dogs, devise strategies to protect cattle, and prevent attacks.

“Efforts will be taken to compensate for the loss incurred by farmers due to dog kills. Such attacks by stray dogs have been happening only in the last six months,” he said.

The issue of dog menace has also drawn sharp criticism from the opposition AIADMK. Following a series of attacks on goats by stray dogs, the party’s general secretary ‘Edappadi’ K Palaniswami recently attacked the state government for failing to protect the livelihood of farmers.

“Stray dogs should be captured as there are also frequent instances of them attacking children and elderly people,” he insisted.

PAIN & TERROR

· 2,000 goats and more were killed in Tirupur and Erode in one year

· Rs 12,000 has been demanded as compensation by farmers for each goat killed

· Farmers suffer loss of livelihood due to dog kills

· Farmers protest frequently against dog attacks

· Dogs usually unleash attacks on cattle at night

· Dogs enter sheds by burying the earth below the fence

· Dogs develop a liking for blood due to the consumption of raw meat

· Farmers seek measures to control the dog population