The Indian Express 21.08.2013
5 yrs on, BMC to conduct its second dog census
city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will replicate the
exercise in September. The civic body will conduct the census in a
scientific manner using colour coding to devise more effective
sterilisation programmes.
“The dog census will begin from September by using a colour
coding method which is more effective than traditional methods. This
will also help us devise more effective sterilisation plans,” said Dr
Shantaram Baburao Naik, Deputy Executive Health Officer.
The colour coding method will ensure maximum coverage and minimum
scope for error, officials said. BMC has appointed Human Society
International, an organisation which works for animal protection and
welfare for the project.
Dogs of a specific area will be marked with a certain colour in
the first phase. The coding will be done in separate colours in the same
area to identify neighbourhood and territorial dogs.
The first census that the BMC undertook between October 2007 and
January 2008, had found 76,000 dogs in the city — a figure which many
animal activists thought was conservative. Of these, 26, 900 were found
to be pet dogs. The first census had also found that 4,204 pet dogs
owners had a BMC license for their pets.
According to officials, to conduct successful sterilisation
projects, a detailed census needs to be conducted. The civic
administration’s data point out that more there were more than 200 cases
of dog bite recorded in the city daily in 2011. The number of dog bites
recorded since 2001 is 6,50,000. Civic officials said the number of dog
bites in 2011 was up by over 50 per cent since 2007.
Sterilisation programmes are being conducted here by eight
organisations since November 13, 2007. Till January 31, 2011, 49,000
dogs were sterilised.
