Tamil Nadu to increase the number of animal birth control centres; only 18 operational across the State, finds TNAWB

Tamil Nadu plans to increase ABC centres to control stray dog population, addressing public safety concerns effectively.

Tamil Nadu plans to develop an action plan to increase the number of animal birth control (ABC) centres. This assumes significance in the context of the Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board (TNAWB)‘s recent claim that there are currently only 18 operational ABC centres within the State’s corporations.

The data was collected through expert committee visits across all the 25 corporations in Tamil Nadu, according to the TNAWB. As per data shared by the board, five centres in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), four in the Tiruchi Corporation, three in the Coimbatore Corporation, two in the Madurai Corporation and one each under the corporations in Salem, Tiruppur, Erode, and Chengalpattu are operational. The status of the centres in municipalities and town panchayats is yet to be ascertained, according to the board. The Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department, Health and Family Welfare Department, TNAWB, corporations, and town panchayats will be the stakeholders in the meeting.

When asked about the data, Shruti Vinod Raj, a member of the TNAWB, said: “Generally, the rate of reproduction among dogs is faster than the number of surgeries performed. To address this effectively, a budget has to be allocated to fund adequate centres — at least 100 in the State — to prevent the stray dog population from increasing.”

An unsterilised female dog can produce a minimum of 16 puppies in a year and up to 128 in two years, a 12-fold increase. Further, the data from TNAWB revealed that the stray dog population survey is being conducted only by corporations in Chennai, Coimbatore, Erode, and Vellore. “The rest of the Corporations must also begin taking surveys. Along with continuously undertaking zone-wise ABC surgeries, ARV [anti-rabies vaccination] must also be administrated as a total of 34 human deaths due to rabies were recorded across the State from January to December 2024,” Ms. Raj said.

She suggested that corporations should regulate breeders, as more than 225 pet dogs were reportedly abandoned last year, as of December 15, 2024, which only adds to the menace.

The GCC is planning to open new ABC centres in Tiruvottiyur, Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Anna Nagar, and Adyar zones. According to a resolution passed in the Council meeting in December, each centre will be equipped with veterinary facilities and cover 8,000 sq.ft. The total cost for the centres is ₹7.44 crore, and they are expected to perform 30,000 surgeries annually. Besides this, the GCC is constructing new ABC centres in Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Valasaravakkam, and Perungudi zones.

In 2024, the civic body captured 20,296 stray dogs, sterilising more than 14,678 and microchipping over 1,500 in the five ABC centres in Pulianthope, Kannammapet, Lloyd’s Colony, Meenambakkam, and Sholinganallur, according to data from the GCC. Despite these efforts, the stray dog menace continues to raise public concern.