The high density of population, public protests, and scarcity of land are hampering efforts to set up dog shelters, according to the State government.
The State government listed out the challenges it has been facing in an affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court the other day. The top court had directed all the States to set up dog shelters.
At present, two dog shelters are functioning in the State. Sheltering facilities have been started in all 20 permanent Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres. District Collectors have been asked to identify land for setting up more shelters. Besides the high population density, the scarcity of government land for the facilities is also a major challenge, the affidavit filed by Kerala’s Standing Counsel C.K. Sasi said.
The Revenue and Local Self-Government departments are in the process of identifying suitable land for new shelters. Once the land is finalised, the Animal Husbandry department will provide technical support for setting up the facilities.
District Animal Husbandry Officers have been asked to identify and prepare a list of animal welfare organisations and animal enthusiasts to assist in setting up shelters. At present, 22 dog feeding centres are operational across the State. Efforts are under way to identify additional feeding spots without causing inconvenience to the public, the affidavit said.
