Animal welfare bodies left with dogs from hospitals

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Animal-welfare-bodies-left-with-dogs-from-hospitals/articleshow/17186533.cms

CHENNAI: Three months after Chennai Corporation removed around 500 dogs and 70 cats from various government hospitals, the NGOs that offered to sterilize and temporarily house the animals are in a spot over where to release them. 

The Blue Cross, which sterilized close to 60 dogs picked up from the hospitals, is yet to decide where to release these animals. According to theAnimal Birth Control rules, stray dogs have to be released in the place from where they were picked up to maintain balance of habitat. 

"This is a problem for us as the dogs can't be released in medical institutions. Blue Cross usually houses dogs for up to five days. Post sterilization they are released where they were picked up," said Blue Cross Society general manager Dawn Williams. 

"We are yet to decide on what to do with these animals. We are in touch with Corporation officials to decide the future course of action," he said, adding that they were considering putting the animals up for adoption. 

In September, the Chennai Corporation along with volunteers from the Blue Cross, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and People for Animals removed 525 dogs, 16 cats and 3,048 rats from the city's government hospitals. The drive was launched after the body of a 12-day-old infant was eaten by rodents at the government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children in Triplicane. 

Around 60 dogs were sent to Blue Cross, and a few to People for Animals, according to Chennai Corporation officials. They said they did not know what happened to the rest of the animals. "Our duty is to remove the dogs from the government hospitals. It is not our responsibility to follow up on the whereabouts of these animals. We just ensure that they are not released into the hospital premises again," an official said. 

Stray dogs, however, continue to lounge around in the corridors of the government hospitals. "We are doing everything we can to chase the dogs away, but they keep returning. If there are more dogs than we can handle, we alert the Corporation or Blue Cross," said a senior official in the government women and children's hospital in Egmore. 

Animal activists have pinned the blame on hospitals for not keeping their premises clean. "There is so much leftover food in hospitals, which attracts stray dogs. We are still figuring out a humane way to deal with the situation," said S Chinny Krishna, vice-chairman of Animal Welfare Board.