Every day for the past six years, 37-year-old ‘Protein’ Prabhu has faithfully fed monkeys and stray dogs near the Indian Institute of Statistics in Bengaluru. At noon, he sits with a basket of bananas, feeding the monkeys that inhabit the campus. In the evenings, he provides sustenance to about 30 stray dogs, mindful of complaints from nearby residents about feeding animals during the day. His efforts come at a personal cost of approximately ₹4,500 daily—₹2,500 for chicken and rice for the dogs and ₹2,000 for bananas.
Excitingly, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has announced a new initiative to provide meals for street dogs across all eight city zones, aiming to alleviate the responsibility placed on individual feeders like Prabhu. The civic body plans to feed around 4,000 dogs, with a daily budget of ₹2.8 crore. Each dog will receive a 400 gm meal of chicken and rice at designated feeding points, totaling about 750 calories per serving.
While this initiative has garnered support from many, it has also ignited debate among Bengaluru residents. Social media has been abuzz with memes and humorous comments, often reflecting the city’s regional and cultural divides. One user, Karan Gowda (@Realkarangowda), jokingly remarked, “Bengaluru stray dogs eat more protein than North Indians,” which quickly garnered over 112,000 views in a short span. Another user sarcastically noted that stray dogs from across India may plan to migrate to Bengaluru following the BBMP’s initiative, citing a lack of language barriers for them.
Not all reactions have been positive. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram from Tamil Nadu expressed concerns, stating that street dogs should be relocated to shelters where they can receive vaccinations and sterilization, labeling the current approach as a public health hazard. In contrast, Karnataka Congress General Secretary Lavanya Ballal Jain encouraged residents to “adopt an indie,” promoting the robust and resilient nature of Indian street dogs, while supporting BBMP’s feeding initiative.
Defending the city’s decision, BBMP’s Special Commissioner for Health and Sanitation, Suralkar Vikas Kishor, emphasized that feeding strays is a part of a broader strategy to eliminate rabies by 2030. Alongside feeding, the BBMP is implementing measures like birth control and vaccination to manage the stray dog population effectively. Kishor noted that consistent feeding would also facilitate easier access to aggressive dogs for necessary health interventions.
In this multifaceted discussion, the BBMP aims to apply a focused initiative targeting high-incident areas of dog bites while engaging with local communities. As debates unfold and opinions clash, the underlying goal remains clear: to foster a safer coexistence between residents and the stray animal population in Bengaluru.
As the initiative rolls out, it will be interesting to see how it impacts both the community and the dog population, emphasizing the balance between humane treatment of animals and public safety in the bustling city of Bengaluru.
Original Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/bbmp-chicken-rice-plan-bengalurus-plan-to-feed-stray-dogs-leaves-internet-divided/article69800212.ece
Category : Bengaluru
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Publish Date: 2025-07-11 17:18:00
