Thiruvananthapuram Enhances Stray Dog Rehabilitation with Major Facility Upgrade
In a significant advancement for animal welfare, the Thiruvananthapuram city corporation has completed a comprehensive upgrade of its veterinary hospital and Animal Birth Control (ABC) center at Vandithadam. This initiative substantially strengthens the city's capabilities in treating, sterilizing, and vaccinating stray dogs, addressing a persistent urban challenge.
Doubled Capacity and Enhanced Infrastructure
The revamped facility now boasts the ability to accommodate and treat up to 100 stray dogs simultaneously, effectively doubling its previous capacity of 50 animals. This expansion represents a major boost to the local ABC program, which aims to manage the stray dog population through humane methods. Alongside the physical upgrades, the workforce at the center has been increased from four to eight personnel. The current team includes three dog catchers, three attenders, and two veterinary doctors, ensuring more efficient operations.
Corporation officials highlighted that the improvements extend to surgical infrastructure, enabling more streamlined and effective sterilization procedures. With the enhanced setup, the center is designed to perform 25 to 30 sterilization surgeries per day, a critical step in reducing the backlog of cases and improving response times.
Addressing a Growing Stray Dog Population
This upgrade comes at a crucial time as Thiruvananthapuram continues to grapple with a substantial stray dog population, estimated at approximately 8,700 animals. Currently, only about 42% of these dogs have been sterilized, underscoring the urgent need for scaled-up interventions. Dr. Sreerag Jayan, veterinary surgeon of the city corporation's health wing, emphasized that the enhanced facility will play a pivotal role in accelerating these efforts. He noted that the improved surgical environment allows for a higher daily procedure rate, directly contributing to population control measures.
The Vandithadam center, which had resumed operations after a prolonged closure due to legal and environmental concerns, had been functioning under constraints until recently. The latest upgrades are expected to alleviate pressure on other facilities, such as the Pettah ABC center, which has been handling a significant portion of sterilization work in the city.
Future Plans and Ongoing Challenges
Despite this progress, officials pointed out that a larger, more ambitious project remains pending. Plans to establish a multispecialty veterinary hospital and advanced ABC center at Vandithadam, with an estimated cost of Rs 4.5 crore, are still on hold. This proposed facility is envisioned as a comprehensive hub featuring quarantine units, kennels, post-operative care wards, and modern waste management systems. However, it will only move forward after the model code of conduct is lifted and fresh tenders are floated.
Authorities are also exploring decentralized shelters and additional infrastructure to complement ongoing efforts. In a related development, the corporation is upgrading the Pettah veterinary hospital at a cost of Rs 40 lakh to manage the increasing number of stray dogs. The Vandithadam facility upgrade, completed at an approximate cost of Rs 25 lakh, now allows the civic body to operate more effectively with existing resources.
The ABC center at Vandithadam was previously shut down in December 2023 following complaints of animal rights violations, leading to increased reliance on the Pettah facility. With the recent enhancements, Thiruvananthapuram aims to create a more robust system for systematic vaccination, sterilization, and long-term rehabilitation of stray dogs, ultimately fostering a safer and healthier urban environment.
