Sat May 10 16:52:14 UTC 2025: ## Kochi to Boost Animal Birth Control Center Amidst Opposition Criticism
**KOCHI, KERALA – May 10, 2025** – The Kochi Corporation is set to significantly upgrade its Animal Birth Control (ABC) center at Brahmapuram, addressing long-standing concerns about its capacity and efficiency. The center, which reopened last July after months of maintenance, will receive two additional veterinary surgeons, an unspecified number of para-veterinarians, and two new vehicles for capturing stray dogs.
Currently operating with only one full-time surgeon and limited support staff, the center performs five to seven surgeries daily. The additions are expected to increase this to 15-18 surgeries per day by enabling multiple shifts. The introduction of para-veterinarians will also alleviate the burden on existing animal handlers, who have been assisting surgeons, impacting their primary duties of capturing stray animals. The new vehicles will also increase the daily capture rate from 7-10 dogs to a higher number, helping to address a backlog of 100 complaints.
However, the move has drawn criticism from the United Democratic Front (UDF) opposition. They accuse the Corporation of neglecting the need for a second ABC unit despite allocated funds, highlighting the insufficient number of vehicles and staff to address the rising number of stray dog bites, recently reported in several divisions. UDF parliamentary party secretary M.G. Aristotle specifically criticized the Corporation’s response to the recent surge in reported bites as apathetic. An anonymous animal handler corroborated the strain on current resources, emphasizing the necessity of dedicated para-veterinarians.
First Piper 