The Indian Express      03.09.2012

Stray animals in Pimpri to be ‘microchipped’

The microchip can store details of the animal like breed, age, history of illnesses, vaccination, address of owner and relevant data

Stray animals rounded up by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) will not be released to the owners who later claim them unless a microchip is installed giving details of the animal and the address of the owner, as per a proposal approved by Municipal Commissioner Dr Shrikar Pardeshi. The proposal would soon be placed before the civic standing committee to decide the budget.

PCMC veterinary chief Dr Satish Gore on Sunday said strays seized and kept in the animal pound will be installed the microchips. “This will help us identify the owner. After a stray is seized, the owner comes to us for its release. We will not release the animal unless we install a microchip on it,” he said. The microchip is installed under the skin on the legs. “It is not visible and does not hurt the animal,” he said.

Officials said the microchip contains a barcode that can store details of the animal like breed, age, history of illnesses, vaccination, address of owner and relevant data. “The barcode details would be fed into our database. The animal will have a number up to 15 digits that cannot be changed and would therefore help us identity its owner,” Dr Gore said.

Dr Gore said initially the scheme would be for strays. “But owners of pets can also get the micrcochips installed. The scheme will be optional for them,” he said. Dr Gore said PCMC will charge Rs 300 for installation of a microchip. In fact, he said, they were planning to make the scheme part of the licence procedure for pet owners. “After the scheme is started, we would later plan to make it part of the licence. Instead of pet owners paying Rs 75 as licence renewal fee, they can pay Rs 375 and get the microchip installed,” he said.

The veterinary department said once the standing committee decides the budget for the scheme, they would decide the future course. This is the second major step by the PCMC veterinary department after it set up the pet cemetery at Nehrunagar a few years back. The pet cemetery turned out to be the only of its kind set up by a civic body in the country, officials said.