The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Corporation to expand stray dog birth control programme

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 28, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Corporation to expand stray dog birth control programme

Kannal Achuthan

40,000 street canines in the city yet to be sterilised

Chennai : The Chennai Corporation is planning a large-scale birth control programme for stray dogs in order to bring down their population in the city.

Every year, the Corporation sterilises about 10,000 dogs. With the increasing number of complaints related to stray dogs from city residents, the Corporation is looking to expand its animal birth control project.

A committee has been formed to monitor the programme. The Corporation Commissioner is its chairman and its members include a health official, a veterinary officer, a veterinarian, and representatives from Animal Welfare Board, Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and voluntary organisations such as People for Animals and Blue Cross.

"There are about 40,000 stray dogs in Chennai that are yet to be sterilised," said the Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni. The total stray dog population in the city is estimated at 1.15 lakh.

About 13,000 dogs are caught every year and brought to the pound. About 90 per cent are sterilised; others are claimed by owners. To identify sterilised dogs, a small cut is made on one of the ears after surgery.

The dogs are vaccinated for rabies and are released after their surgical wounds are healed.

The Corporation will network with the Animal Husbandry department to bring more veterinarians for its birth control programme. The Corporation's animal control unit can be reached at 26670593 between 7.30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

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