Kozhikode Corporation’s decision to set up designated feeding spots for stray dogs marks a significant step towards a more structured, humane, and legal approach to managing the city’s large stray dog population. The move comes in line with recent Supreme Court and Kerala High Court directions asking local bodies across Kerala to identify feeding points and ensure that people who feed community dogs are not harassed as long as they follow laid‑down norms.
Kozhikode has seen a sharp rise in stray dogs over the past few years, with recent surveys estimating that the number has more than doubled since 2018, standing at around 28,500 within Corporation limits. At the same time, Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes have helped stabilise population growth, but food availability and ad‑hoc feeding practices continue to influence where dogs congregate and whether they become a menace on busy roads or near schools and markets. The new “designated feeding spots” are meant to concentrate feeding in clearly marked, safer locations instead of random corners, steps, near waste bins, or residential gates.
The Corporation will earmark specific open areas such as corners of parks, certain stretches of roads, or other public spaces where feeding will be officially permitted and encouraged during fixed time windows, typically early in the morning and late in the evening. These spots are expected to be located away from schools, playgrounds, hospitals, and narrow footpaths so that children and pedestrians are not at direct risk. Signboards will be installed at these locations, listing the permitted timings and basic hygiene rules, so both feeders and the general public know where and when feeding is allowed.
Kerala’s civic bodies have been nudged repeatedly by the High Court and later the Supreme Court to create formal feeding zones and to inform local police about their locations. The Supreme Court’s recent order underlined that feeding community dogs is not illegal, but it must be done at designated spots and within specified hours, to balance animal welfare with public safety and hygiene. The Kerala government has also directed local bodies to prepare feeding‑zone SOPs and to discourage unregulated feeding in residential compounds, narrow streets, or near temples and shops.
For animal‑lovers and NGO volunteers who regularly feed strays, designated spots mean protection from complaints and possible police action, as long as they operate within the notified zones and timings. For the civic body, it becomes easier to monitor and regulate feeding, coordinate with animal welfare groups, and integrate these spots with ongoing ABC and vaccination drives. For residents, the plan should reduce the presence of packs near windows, gates, and pick‑up points, lower nighttime noise, and cut down on food waste left in public areas that often attracts dogs and other animals.
Despite the clear legal framework, several practical hurdles remain. Kozhikode is a densely built‑up urban area with limited open land, which makes it difficult to identify multiple safe, accessible spots that are not too close to homes or traffic junctions. There is also a risk that some residents may continue feeding dogs at their doorstep or in compounds, either out of habit or fear that dogs will stray into their premises if they stop. Effective implementation will therefore depend on sustained public awareness, coordination with RWAs, temple committees, and local animal‑welfare groups, and strict enforcement against feeding outside designated zones.
The feeding‑spot initiative is part of a broader strategy that already includes an aggressive ABC programme, periodic population surveys, and plans for a municipal dog park where sterilised strays can be housed and monitored. By combining sterilisation, vaccination, and now regulated feeding, the Corporation aims to reduce conflicts between humans and dogs, cut down on rabies‑related incidents, and eventually create a more predictable and safer urban environment for both residents and the city’s thousands of community dogs.