Stray dogs being brought to the Kalimpong Animal Shelter. A Telegraph picture

Kalimpong, Feb. 16: Simba was rescued from Teestabazar, a bustling hamlet located on the banks of the Teesta about 17-km from here. Noma was brought all the way from Darjeeling. Sandy calls this place home ever since a monkey bit him and he was left to die on the road.

Spurned by society, the stray dogs have found a lifeline in the Kalimpong Animal Shelter, a one-of-a-kind centre in north Bengal.

Located at Bong Bustee, a congested locality in the hill resort, the Home not only keeps the canine population in the Darjeeling hills in check but also takes good care of the stray curs.

The animal birth control programme has been a major success in recent times, claim the Home authorities.

Besides controlling the canine population in the hills, the Home staff is a great help for local villagers, who live in and around the subdivisional town.

The staff often visit adjoining villages like Samthar, Singe, Pemling and Nimbong to treat the ailing pets.

Plans are now afoot to reach out to the far-flung villages in the hill subdivision to carry on the “good work”.

The staff also aim at educating the children from local village schools on animal welfare and care.

“Our primary objective is to control the stray population in Kalimpong subdivision. The animal birth control programme is a four-point process. Stray dogs are picked up from the roads, brought to the shelter, sterilised and then vaccinated. We release the canine in their n atural habitat only after they are fully fit,” said Naveen Pandey, a doctor, working with Darjeeling Goodwill Animal Shelter.

Pandey, however, disagreed with the popular notion that the stray dog population can be controlled if a section of them are regularly put to sleep.

“Poisoning of street dogs is neither a viable option to keep the population in check nor helps prevent the spread of infectious rabies. A recent survey reveals that if dogs of a particular area are killed, more will come there in search of food,” he added.

Encouraged by the birth control programme’s success in Kalimpong subdivision, the Home authorities also plan to hold a similar camp at Darjeeling in the near future.

“The logistics of holding a camp at Darjeeling have not been worked out. We will discuss the matter during our next meeting with the trustees. The meeting will be held in June,” said Pandey.

Lack of a pucca road is the only problem for the Home authorities. “We face a lot of difficulty while taking the dogs to the Home. The situation worsens especially during the rainy season when the stretch becomes slippery,” complained Mahesh Chettri, a Home staff.

The Home now has 15 kennels, an operation theatre, dispensary and a vehicle to transport the animals.