Headlines
No decision to cull stray dogs: Kerala minister
Thiruvananthapuram, July 27
Kerala Tourism
Minister A.P. Anilkumar on Monday rubbished allegations by animal
activists that the state government had decided to cull stray dogs.
"Their
subsequent widespread 'Worldwide Boycott Kerala Movement 2015' on the
social medium is based on misinformation," the minister said in a strong
rebuttal of the allegation.
During the last couple of weeks, the
Kerala government and its tourism sector have faced a backlash through
social networking mediums over the stray dog issue in the state, with a
group of animal activists and the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)
launching an online campaign to boycott Kerala.
The AWBI,
protesting the alleged government decision taken at an all-party meet to
cull aggressive stray dogs, subsequently called for the boycott of
Kerala.
The campaign, also conducted in metros like Kolkata,
Delhi and Bengaluru, called on people to not select Kerala as their
tourist destination till the government rescinded its decision to kill
stray dogs.
"The allegations are baseless. The government has
decided to kill only rabid and dangerous stray dogs because of the
danger they've posed to people, particularly to children, over the past
few months," said Anilkumar.
"There is no decision to kill all dogs, as mentioned in the online petition," he added.
A
meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, had only decided to
implement an Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme at veterinary
hospitals, giving the nod to commence sterilisation at 50 veterinary
hospitals with primary facilities across the state, and to implement
anti-rabies immunisation in all veterinary hospitals.
Initially, ABC will be implemented in 50 centres across 14 districts and gradually in 500 centres.
"I
do not believe that the online campaign will affect Kerala's tourism.
The state registers a steady growth in the domestic and international
tourist arrivals annually," said Kerala Tourism secretary G. Kamala
Vardhana Rao.
He also pointed out that the state's sensitive
treatment of rabid and stray dogs would make Kerala a more
tourism-friendly and safer place.