Why Bengaluru’s chicken-rice for stray dogs is a bone of contention

Rice and chicken for the strays of Bengaluru? Bengaluru’s municipal authority, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), has initiated a daily feeding program to address dog aggression and enhance public safety, provoking significant discussion.

As part of the initiative, the BBMP will provide 5,000 street dogs with a daily portion of chicken-rice weighing 367 grams, costing Rs 22 per meal – totaling an annual expense of Rs 2.88 crore. Named “Kukkir Tihar,” the initiative promotes citizen involvement via voluntary donations, striving to foster a collective duty for the well-being of stray animals. With more than 2.8 lakh stray dogs in the city, the BBMP has reached out to FSSAI-registered food service providers to feed 500 dogs in each of the eight city zones.

The feeding initiative arises alongside increasing worries about public safety. From January to August 2024, Bengaluru recorded 18,822 cases of dog bites.

To tackle the problem, the BBMP has initiated a pilot project to insert grain-sized microchips in stray dogs, enabling the monitoring of their territory, sterilization, vaccination status, and health.

According to various media reports, experts indicate that the city’s stray dog problem is driven by irregular sterilisation, inadequate vaccination rates, and unchecked feeding around open waste disposal areas.

Such situations frequently cause dogs to create packs, raising the likelihood of aggression and complicating capture efforts, exacerbating the issue. Karti Chidambaram criticized BBMP’s dog feeding scheme, urging shelter solutions instead, amid infrastructure funding concerns.

Here’s how people have reacted to the announcement.

“The horrendously misplaced priorities of the Congress government in Karnataka! First photo – 56,244 kids are malnourished in Kalyana Karnataka. Second photo – chicken and egg rice for Bengaluru’s stray dogs! What an irony,” one user posted.

Another person wrote, “Here we were hoping the government would address the rising stray dog population. Instead, BBMP is launching a Rs 2.8 crore scheme to feed them rice, chicken, and eggs daily across Bengaluru. What could go wrong?”

Critics argue that providing easily available and nutritious food will increase survival and breeding rates, deepening the stray dog crisis. Feeding dogs at fixed locations, they warn, may also encourage pack behaviour, making them more territorial and aggressive, particularly towards children, pedestrians, cyclists, and street vendors.

One post noted that regular feeding might condition dogs to gather in large crowds, turning them into a greater public nuisance. “I’d have supported this if BBMP had simultaneously announced a plan to map the fed dogs and run a sterilisation and vaccination drive. Instead, they’re about to worsen the problem,” it said.

Congress government in Karnataka rolls out daily meals for street dogs. Rs 2.8 crore tender was floated by BBMP to serve meat-based meals across all eight city zones, roughly 600 to 700 dogs per zone. Chicken and egg rice for stray dogs! Priorities,” another person posted on X.

While the move is being hailed by some as a humane step toward animal welfare, it has also sparked public debate. Many questioned the use of taxpayer funds for feeding strays when numerous citizens are still struggling for necessities. The initiative has triggered broader discussions about governance and priorities.

Others were far more blunt in their criticism: “Utter nonsense. They’re feral dogs, not strays. They should be culled without mercy. It’s a tragedy that rabies still claims thousands of lives every year. If only the Karnataka government and BBMP had an iota of common sense.”