In a little more than a month, more than 85,000 dogs that live on the city’s streets will be administered anti-rabies vaccine (ARV).
The Chennai Corporation launched the ARV drive in Zone VII last week, and so far, 5,000 of the 8,000 street dogs there have been vaccinated, said officials.
Once the drive is completed, Chennai will be the first city to have a systematic ARV campaign covering all the dogs within city limits, officials said.
“The enumeration of street dogs was done earlier this year and their number was pegged at 85,000. So, we anticipate a 10 per cent increase in the street dog population,” an official said, adding that about 40,000 ARV units were procured and the remaining would be bought soon. A dose of ARV is effective for at least two years, the official said.
The Corporation, in coordination with Blue Cross, People For Animals (PFA) and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, proposes to complete the drive by mid-Janunary.
“We have formed 10 teams which include a veterinarian. The enumeration process helped us to count the number of dogs in a particular neighbourhood, but with the ARV drive, we hope to document the whole process to keep track of the males, females and lactating dogs on each street,” the official said.
According to Shirani Pereira of PFA, which will assist the Corporation in north Chennai, in areas such as Red Hills and Puzhal, mass immunisation of street dogs will keep in check the number of human deaths due to bites from rabid dogs.
“It is an uphill task to vaccinate all the dogs in the city, as there is a huge dog population in the extended areas,” she said.
The Corporation will also take up awareness campaigns with NGOs to dispel myths on street dogs. “Residents should understand that neutered dogs should be reintroduced in the neighbourhood. They cannot be gotten rid of. We are hoping to spread awareness on the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001,” the official said.