Greater Chennai Corporation mulls appointing volunteers to oversee operations at ABC centres

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has temporarily halted Animal Birth Control (ABC) surgeries for community dogs across all five of its centres over the past 15 days, said official sources. Going forward, the civic body is considering the appointment of animal welfare volunteers at the ABC centres to ensure better care.
According to a series of discussions held since June 3, the GCC plans to recruit two trained volunteers in each ABC pound who will be tasked with monitoring the entire process here. Their responsibilities might include ensuring dogs are caught humanely using nets, documenting their place of capture to prevent relocation, and overseeing the availability and proper use of medical supplies such as blood testing solutions and medications, sources said.
Volunteers will also verify if necessary pre-operative tests are conducted, monitor post-operative recovery, including proper medications for wound healing, ear-notching, and feeding of cooked food, and ensure that dogs are released back to their original locations once fully recovered. The suspension of ABC surgeries comes in the wake of a protest held on May 26 in front of the Ripon Buildings, where city-based animal activists had alleged that many dogs either died due to botched surgeries, succumbed to complications after being released back onto the streets, or went missing altogether, adding that some dogs that underwent ABC procedures in GCC pounds have unhealed surgical wounds and open sutures. In response, GCC Mayor R Priya assured immediate action.

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