GHMC is carrying out a pilot project to complete control canine population in five wards of the corporation’s jurisdiction.
Under the programme, all stray dogs in areas coming under the chosen wards will be given Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ARV) and sterilised. The project has already begun in Nagole, Shalibanda, Asifnagar, Serilingampally and Gajularamaram wards and will continue up to August 15, a statement from GHMC informed. The wards have been chosen based on their proximity to the five animal care centres in GHMC’s purview, it said.
The animal care centres are respectively located at Fathullahguda in Hayatnagar Circle, Chudibazar in Charminar Circle, Patel Nagar in Mehdipatnam Circle, KPHB Colony in Serlingampally Circle and Mahadevpur in Gajularamaram Circle. It is estimated that all the five wards together are home to about 20,000 stray dogs. So far, a total of 1,179 dogs have been sterilised and 2,106 have been given ARV. Several other dogs have already been sterilised as part of the Animal Birth Control programme of GHMC, the statement informed.
As per instructions of the Chief Veterinary Officer, the canines already sterilised will have to be caught and released then and there after administering the ARV. Only the unsterilised dogs are to be brought to the animal care centres for sterilisation and ARV.
Two dog-catching vehicles are being deployed exclusively for this programme, to be used in two shifts. Also, voluntary services of the animal welfare associations and NGOs are being commissioned for the programme, the statement said.
