Dog population management survey begins in Chennai

Greater Chennai Corporation, TNAWB, and WVS conduct survey to assess stray dog population, aiming to inform interventions and policies.

Amid concerns regarding increased instances of dog-related conflicts and largely undocumented recent data on neuter coverage and demographic data of dogs, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), along with Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board (TNAWB) and Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), began a survey to assess the population of stray and community dogs across all zones in the city.

The proposed timeline for the Dog Population Management (DPM) programme includes 10 days for preparation, 1-2 days for training volunteers, 10-20 days for data collection, and 30 days for data analyses which are expected to inform targeted interventions and policy decisions.

A total of 34 teams began the survey in four zones - Royapuram (V) near Ripon Buildings, close to Perambur Railway Station under Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar Zone (VI), from Meenambakkam under Alandur Zone (XII) and in Adyar Zone (XIII) from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.

The survey will be conducted in all 200 wards of the GCC, by volunteers travelling on two-wheelers to record dog sightings, human-dog conflicts reported to GCC, dogs with maggot wounds, skin conditions or tumours, pups and lactating females etc., in the WVS Data Collection App.

The app is expected to handle data from dog catching and surgery teams. This includes maps of ward boundaries, path trackers, GPS locations of dogs that were caught, dog details, surgeon details, etc. Data collected will be analysed to assess clinic performance and ward-wise dog-catching coverage, according to a release from the Corporation.

The survey’s budget of ₹5 lakh includes expenses for travel, accommodation, food allowance, bike and fuel, uniforms, training workshops, and administrative costs. Further, ₹1 lakh has been allocated for sterilisation clinics, covering staff expenses, app expenses, training workshops, and administrative costs.