More funds to keep stray dog population at bay

With the increasing number of complaints about dog bites and stray dogs, the civic body have decided to spend Rs 40 lakh to upgrade its Animal Birth Control and Anti-Rabies Vaccination Programme.

Tenders from three agencies, including the Blue Cross Society, have been approved for the implementation of the programme. Dr Anjali Sabne, acting deputy health officer, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), said tenders were invited and Blue Cross Society has been given the mandate after a gap of two years along with two other agencies. Blue Cross along with PMC has been implementing the programme since 1995.

However, for the last two years different agencies were given the work. They are Animal Rights Fund from Bangalore and SPCA from Latur.

The focus is on sterilisations and work is also underway to build a new operation theatre and kennel at Naidu Hospital pound. "We are also purchasing three new dog vans to catch stray dogs," Sabne said. A total of 5,183 dogs were sterilised from January till December last year. According to the PMC records, there were 3,033 sterilisations in 2007, 3,268 in 2008, 3,817 in 2009 and 5,720 in 2010.

However, 11,947 cases of dog bites have been registered from January till December last year. In 2010, 11,520 cases were registered while in 2009 the number was 12,539. Vijay Paranjape of Blue Cross Society said, "Sterilisations would be conducted at hospital at Keshavnagar, Mundhwa".

"Earlier, Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release (CNVR) method was used where dogs after sterilisation were released on the same day. Now it would not be a one-day procedure. Dogs will be kept in the pound after being sterilised and released on the third day of the operation", Sabne added.

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