Change in BBMP's ABC protocol sparks scepticism
Animal welfare
Animal Birth Control
Priya Chetty-Rajagopal
Harini Raghavan
All these risks are eliminated in the case of one dedicated centre with separate staff and vets coordinating with citizens and animal welfare groups to pick up and drop off CD-infected dogs
– Harini Raghavan, Citizens for Animal Birth Control
workers in the city have raised concern over a recent circular from the Animal Husbandry Department of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).As per the circular, dated May 6, BBMP has revised its(ABC) surgery protocol for dogs that have recovered from canine distemper (CD). Instead of conducting surgeries at a dedicated facility, these procedures will be taking place at ABC centres across different zones. Although the circular underlines that the surgery room will be disinfected and fumigated before bringing in healthy dogs, the activists remain sceptical about the lack of a separate facility.of CJ Memorial Trust, who is a city-based animal welfare worker, said that some of the BBMP's ABC centres are in poor condition, with some even lacking basic facilities like tap water. 'Disinfecting areas that have earlier housed CD dogs is a meticulous process, and the ABC centres are not equipped to handle it,' she said.Activists underlined that the ABC centres, despite all precautions, contribute to multiple CD cases across the city. It is believed that given the situation, operating CD-recovered dogs in ABC centres is a matter of concern.from Citizens for Animal Birth Control, noted that a solution is to isolate the dogs in the centre and disinfect the space before bringing in healthy dogs.'However, the catchers, nets used to trap the dogs, vans used to transport them, and veterinarians handling both healthy and CD-recovered dogs will be the same,' she highlighted, stating that additionally pinpointing carriers will be difficult unless the centres have a strong protocol in place with inputs from medical experts in the city. 'All these risks are eliminated in the case of one dedicated centre with separate staff and vets coordinating with citizens and animal welfare groups to pick up and drop off CD-infected dogs,' said Raghavan.BBMP has an ABC centre dedicated to CD-infected dogs in Sumanahalli, RR Nagar, which is operational and run by an NGO along with BBMP's ABC partner, COVA. Experts said that creating the centre was a move in the right direction, and the effort needs to be stepped up. However, officials from the Animal Husbandry Department said that the centre in RR Nagar is a failed experiment. With a capacity to accommodate seven to eight dogs, the centre will now be catering to CD-infected dogs only from RR Nagar and Dasarahalli.'We tried to use the centre to conduct ABC surgeries of CD-infected dogs for three months. However, it did not work out. The centre will now be used for ABC surgeries of CD dogs from RR Nagar and Dasarahalli zones,' said an official from the Animal Husbandry department. The official highlighted that for the rest of the zones, ABC centres will be used for surgeries on CD-infected dogs three months after they have recovered from the infection. 'We have started doing combined vaccination. Moreover, after three months, shedding of the virus is minimal. The centre has limited capacity and cannot cater to cases from across the city,' said the official.
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