Increase our daily wages to Rs 1,000, dog catchers urge GCC
Volunteers have to fulfil a target of 100 stray dogs per day
A trainee veterinarian administering the vaccine to a stray canine in Royapuram zone on Monday (Photo: Manivasagan)
CHENNAI: Volunteers engaged in the city’s ongoing anti-rabies vaccination campaign say their daily work of catching stray dogs is gruelling and poorly paid.
Each team is expected to trap and vaccinate about 100 animals a day, often in scorching heat or heavy rain, yet their wage remains Rs 800. The catchers have urged the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to raise this to Rs 1,000.
Since the drive began on August 9, the GCC has vaccinated 50,823 dogs across the city’s 15 zones. The Corporation estimates the stray population at about 1.8 lakh.
A typical team consists of eight members: four dog catchers, a vaccine box carrier, a veterinarian, an app handler and a supervisor. They are allotted specific neighbourhoods and supplied with 120 vaccine doses daily, of which around 100 are administered to street dogs.
“For two months we’ve been covering different zones. Today we started at 9 am in Royapuram with four workers carrying butterfly nets,” said S Venu (21), a resident of Pallavaram. “We comb every lane for stray dogs hiding in corners. Dog lovers sometimes scold or even attack us, so we need uniforms and ID cards for protection.”
Another catcher, B Sarath Kumar, said that the monsoon makes the job riskier. “When it rains, our hands get slippery and dog bites are more likely. A relative of mine was bitten while working in Meenambakkam. We’re the breadwinners in our families and rely on the daily wage. Apart from the low pay, some payments are still pending.”
The animals can also be difficult to restrain during vaccination, added trainee veterinary Dr MV Rupa Malivaka. “They thrash about and there is a high chance of injuring our hands. We spend hours on the streets and end up exhausted. We receive Rs 1,700 per day as an incentive, but the catchers’ pay should reflect the risks.”
The vaccination drive, launched by Mayor R Priya in Manali, Madhavaram and Tondiarpet, now involves 30 special teams covering all city zones. GCC officials said the campaign will continue until every identified stray has been vaccinated.
