Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Sunday announced resumption of the drive to catch stray animals loitering around the city.

The drive resumes after a gap of one month following fresh complaints from citizens of the increasing number of stray animals, creating nuisance on main roads and by lanes.

KMC staff will catch stray cattle, including bulls, calf, and cows that are habituated to bask under the warmth of the winter sun in the middle of the roads. Five staffs from the metropolis along with one truck are being used for catching stray animals in the metropolis, KMC said.

Speaking to the Post KMC City Police Chief Bishnu Prasad Joshi said, “We stopped the drive assuming there were no more stray

animals on the streets. Recently we received some complaints from people. We shall clear stray animals from the city soon.”

The City Police collects stray animals and keeps them at its facility in Teku for auction.

Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mukunda Marasini said, “These stray animals are a nuisance for pedestrians and vehicular movements. They pose accident risks.”

According to the KMC’s record, in the last fiscal year, staff caught 280 stray animals from the road. The Metropolis auctioned these stray animals for Rs 104,600.

During the past four months, the KMC caught 113 stray animals and earned Rs 41,000 by auctioning them. Officials at the metropolis said, the minimum rate for auctioning a animal is Rs 200.

Abandoned animals on the street include male bovines and milch cows that have stopped giving milk and calf. These discarded animals roam around the streets in search of food from garbage bins and crumbs thrown around. These animals often eat saplings planted along the roads in as part of city beautification project.    

Earlier, the MTPD had announced its search for the owner of the abandoned cattle in order to produce them before the metropolis, till the date, not a single owner has been booked and fiend. The MTPD levies a fine of Rs200 and above on owners of abandoned cattle.

Police say it is difficult to book owners as they let out animals during the night.

“Last week I saw a cow and calf eating the plants in Santinagar. These plants are part of the road beautification project,” said Santinagar resident Bijaya Shrestha.