Thiruvananthapuram: In a bid to manage the stray dog population in the capital, the construction of a state-of-the-art multi-specialty veterinary hospital for stray dogs at Vandithadam near Thiruvallom is set to begin within two months. The Rs 5.5-crore facility, planned exclusively for stray dog management, is being modelled on the lines of Chennai Corporation’s scientifically designed animal-care infrastructure.The corporation is expected to complete the remaining formalities and invite the tender within two months. Corporation officials are particularly looking at the way dogs are housed, handled and moved through different stages of sterilisation and recovery.Earlier, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation had entrusted Chennai Corporation with scientifically designing a facility based on its model for Thiruvananthapuram. Currently, the Chennai corporation has seven multi-specialty hospitals with new facilities that meet international standards.Corporation chief veterinary surgeon Dr Sreerag Jayan said that the approval from the corporation counsel is needed before floating the construction tender for the project and it is expected soon.The proposed facility will have specially designed cages and kennels aimed at reducing stress and disturbance to the animals. Unlike conventional cages that resemble simple wire enclosures, the proposed arrangements will provide greater separation and privacy, with the dogs not being directly visible from outside. The design also seeks to minimise the sound of barking reaching areas outside the facility.The facility is planned with the capacity to sterilise around 40-50 stray dogs a day, making it a major expansion of the corporation’s animal birth control (ABC) infrastructure. It will also include facilities for treatment and post-operative care, besides other support infrastructure required for handling a large number of animals.The hospital will come up on 65 cents at Vandithadam, where the corporation has already completed construction of the compound wall. The site is part of the corporation’s existing animal-control infrastructure.The corporation already has an ABC facility at Pettah. However, the facility has limited scope for expansion and operations because it is located close to a residential area and has faced objections from locals. A legal dispute connected with a nearby temple has also affected operations at the facility.The existing Vandithadam facility is larger, but the corporation has been looking to develop a more comprehensive centre to meet the growing requirement for sterilisation and treatment of stray dogs in the capital. The new hospital is expected to serve as the corporation’s main high-capacity centre for ABC operations.The project is also part of a strategy being pursued by the corporation to manage the stray dog population through sterilisation, vaccination, sheltering and rehabilitation. The civic body has already started shifting dogs requiring long-term care to shelter facilities, including one at Poovar, while efforts are under way to identify and develop additional shelter spaces.
