Local bodies take up initiative to feed animals, birds

Udupi district administration has initiated measures to feed stray animals and birds during the lockdown enforced to contain Covid-19.

The lockdown has not just caused hardships to men and women, but also to birds and animals.

The stray dogs, cats and cattle are facing starvation with the restaurants, hotels and eateries downing shutters.

As per the direction of Udupi Deputy Commissioner G Jagadeesha, Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services has chalked out a temporary action plan to feed them, Deputy Director Dr Harish Tamanakar told DH.

In Udupi CMC limits, to feed the stray animals, Rs 10,000 a day was earmarked and the animals were fed with the help of an NGO. In Parkala, the area councillor had made arrangements for the supply of food.

Kundapura, Kaup and Karkala TMCs had earmarked Rs 600 per day to purchase rice and other essential items for preparing food for the stray dogs and cattle. Saligrama Town Panchayat was spending Rs 400 per day and all the gram panchayats have been contributing Rs 300 per day towards the cause of stray animals, explained the deputy director.

Veterinary staff have been supervising the whole initiative and the Akshara Dasoha staff cook food for these stray animals. The food is supplied at a designated location identified by the volunteers daily. Water is also arranged in a huge tray for the birds and animals. The quality of the cooked food is also checked before the supply, he added.

Along with supplying food, the health of the animals is also taken care of. To ensure that there is no bird flu in the district, samples from poultry farms are collected daily and sent to the laboratory for testing.

Further, there is fodder in the gaushalas in the district. Venkatramana Gaushala at Karkala is rearing 114 cattle while the gaushala at Neelavara managed by Pejawar Mutt has over 1,200 abandoned cattle and Amritadhara at Shiroor has 85 cattle. There is no shortage of fodder in the district, the officer added.