Not serving specially prepared food to stray dogs, clarifies BBMP

BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has clarified that street dogs will not be provided with specially prepared dishes like chicken rice, as it is not human-grade food, but rather dog-grade food. The BBMP has issued a public notice on its Animal Husbandry section’s Instagram account regarding the provision of food to street dogs.

The notice states that the food provided to stray dogs will be prepared using chicken waste and not by killing chickens. The tender only mentioned the ingredients used to prepare the food, not specific dishes like chicken rice or chicken biryani. Since street dogs do not eat vegetarian food, they will be provided with non-vegetarian food, it said.

The BBMP aims to make it easier to capture street dogs for sterilization and anti-rabies vaccination through the food distribution programme. The food distribution will also help reduce the aggression of street dogs and make them more approachable to the public, it says.

The BBMP will distribute food to street dogs only in areas where it is necessary, and the cost of food per dog per day will be Rs 11 each. The total cost, including transportation, cleanliness and GST will be Rs 22.42. The food distribution plan has been formulated based on the guidelines of the Animal Welfare Board of India and research recommendations, the Palike said.

The BBMP’s initiative aims to improve the health and behavior of street dogs, while also making it easier to manage their population and prevent the spread of diseases like rabies.