Srinagar [Images] Municipal Corporation authorities have decided to sterilise around one lakh stray dogs that they were earlier planning on poisoning.

This follows a proactive campaign by local animal rights activists in Srinagar.

Srinagar is facing a stray dog menace, but the city's municipal authorities have no arrangements for immunisation of such a huge population of stray dogs.

Alarmed by the plans of the SMC who intended to use strychnine to eliminate the huge stray dog population in the city, animal rights activists swung into action, threatening to take the 'dog killers' to the court.

The authorities have now meekly cancelled the campaign to kill 1,00,000 dogs and will instead start a mass sterilisation programme to bring the stray dog population under control.

Intervention by animal rights activists came after 1,000 dogs had already been killed by the SMC.

"The SMC authorities have now decided to go for a mass sterilisation campaign of the stray dog population after our protests. The sterilisation campaign will lead to a progressive decline in the stray dog population. Our organisation is ready to help the SMC in their sterilisation campaign," said Javed Iqbal Shah, president of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"We will start a mass sterilisation programme in the case of the healthy stray dogs in Srinagar, but those found rabid will be eliminated," said Dr Riyaz Ahmad, the health officer of the SMC.