Mumbai: Finally, census for stray dogs to get underway

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will finally do a headcount of the city's stray dogs. With activists and citizens questioning the effectiveness of the civic body's sterilisation programme, the BMC's veterinary department decided to carry out a canine census last year. The proposal in this regard is on the verge of being approved.

The entire cost of the endeavour is Rs 12.67 lakh. "We are in the process of getting administrative approval for the proposal. As soon as this happens, we begin the headcount of dogs," said an official. "This time, we will use a GPS-based method to help us find out the dog population on each street. This data will help us with regard to the sterilisation programme," the official added.

Another official said, "The last street dogs census was conducted in 2014. According to it, there are 95,174 strays in the city." According to official data, BMC has sterilised around 1.30 lakh canines since 2015. The city has reported 3.24 lakh dog-bite cases since 2018.

Explaining the significance of the move, Dr Rajiv Gaikwad, hospital superintendent, Mumbai Veterinary College, said, "If there is a scientific count of stray dogs, it becomes easier to plan programmes such as vaccination and sterilisation." He added, "If the number of dogs is found to have multiplied, compared to the previous census, sterilisation and vaccination must be proportionate."

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Activists have said such an exercise is necessary. "If possible, the BMC should think about putting numbered collars on dogs, which reflect light at night," said Pawan Sharma, founder, Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW). "The BMC can take help of local animal feeder," he added. Santosh Mishra, a civic activist, said, The BMC should publish GPS-based census data on civic portals as well as the number of sterilised dogs in each locality. Many stray dogs have diseases. It is also necessary to study their causes and take measures."

Sachin Manjrekar, a civic activist, termed the civic body's claims about sterilising stray dogs questionable. "Despite what the BMC says, we can see that the population of street dogs is rising. The BMC will mark the number of dogs on each street using GPS. They need to upload the data into the public domain. This will help the common people learn what the civic body is doing," he said.