A special campaign on animal welfare

Tirupati: Sri Venkateswara
Veterinary University (SVVU) would be embarking on a special campaign for high school students aimed at generating awareness on animal welfare and zoonotic diseases.

The first-of-its kind initiative would be taken up on a pilot basis in Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s native mandal of Chandragiri and across the State later, in a phased manner.

The Extension department of SVVU had conceived of the programme keeping in view the need to involve the younger generation in the protection of animals and also to help prevent zoonosis (a disease which can be transmitted from animals to humans) which was emerging as a serious threat to human and animal health especially in rural areas.

SVVU Extension Wing Director Daggubati Srinivasulu said the students studying in high schools in rural areas would be covered under the awareness programme.

Veterinary University staff including faculty members, research scholars and students of BVSc and MVSc studying in of the 3 Veterinary Colleges and 7 Veterinary polytechnics in the 13 districts would be involved in taking up the campaign while the Education department is also being roped in for executing the programmes in high schools.

To begin with, the awareness cum educative programme will be launched in the six government high schools in Chandragiri mandal in January, he said adding that students will be taught on prevention of cruelty against cattle which has pivotal role in rural economy, its usage in day-to-day life, stressing the need of ethical treatment of animals to create a friendly environment for them and last but not least, explain the effective methods to avoid zoonotic diseases like anthrax, brucellosis, rabies etc.
Citing many instances of death caused due to rabies in rural areas despite the availability of anti-rabies vaccine, he said the students would be taught on the imminent need for administering anti-rabies vaccine without fail every year to pets to prevent death due to rabies.
``We will not stop with merely teaching the students but will follow up with a visit to the high schools, a month or later, to test them and assess the efficacy of the programme,” he said.