Stray dog population in the city has dropped by nearly 10% since 2019, the BBMP’s dog census has revealed.
Senior Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials have attributed the drop to the civic body’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme.
“Dog breeding cycles are high,” BBMP Special Commissioner (Health) Dr Trilok Chandra explained. “They have nearly five to six cycles a year. So, dog population increases in a geometric progression. Even with such a high number of breeding cycles, we managed to bring down the population by 10%. This proves the effectiveness of the ABC programme.”
Data from the recent census, which puts the number of stray dogs in the city at 2.79 lakh, has revealed that 71.85% of the dogs had been neutered, a far higher number than the year 2019 when the numbers were 51.16%.
Methodology
For the survey purpose, the entire BBMP area was divided into 6,850 grids of 0.5 sqkm. Of this, 1,360 micro zones were chosen for enumeration.
“We chose the micro zones using stratified random sampling methodology and this included representation from areas with lakes, slums, and commercial areas. We followed the sight-resight methodology to ensure precision,” explained Dr KP Suresh, principal scientist (Biostatistics), ICAR-NIVEDI.
The survey was conducted between July 11 and August 2 by 50 teams consisting of two members. Dr Suresh added that the numbers were 98% accurate.
Why census?
Dr Chandra stressed the need to keep a tab on the number of stray dogs. “This is basically to prevent human-animal conflict. We should also ensure animals have a conducive environment to cohabit,” he added.
The numbers also help determine the future course of action, Dr Chandra said.
5-in-1 vaccine
In a proud first, the civic body will soon become the first municipality in the country to vaccinate stray dogs with the 5-in-1 vaccine.
Announcing the plans, BBMP Special Commissioner (Health) Dr Trilok Chandra said that the decision is a proactive measure. “Canine distemper is a highly contagious disease. We have also observed that the mortality is also fast,” he said.
The 5-in-1 vaccine provides protection against the Canine Distemper Virus, Canine Adenovirus 1 and 2, Canine Parainfluenza, and Canine Parvovirus. The civic body is consulting some institutions to understand the use of microchips and geotagging collars to monitor the dogs, also a first-of-its-kind initiative.
“There are instances where the same dog is given anti-rabies vaccination multiple times,” Dr Chandra said, adding that the civic body is working on two pilot projects studying microchips and geotagging collars.
“We will choose which one is to be used based on the results,” he added.