AP Targets Birth Control, Vaccination by February
Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government aims to complete its efforts to administer animal birth control and rabies vaccination to all 2.3 lakh stray dogs by next February. He hopes this will provide great relief to people facing the menace of stray dogs in the state.
According to stray dog population census, there are 2.3 lakh stray dogs in AP. Of these, 1.30 lakh have been sterilized and 1.28 lakh have been vaccinated. This covers approximately 62 percent of the stray dog population with ABC and ARV.
City officials are focusing on ABC and ARV for the remaining 38 percent of stray dogs over the next few months, with a goal of completing them to 90 percent by December and 100 percent by February 2026.
For this purpose, the authorities plan to utilize the services of the animal husbandry department by appointing 40 deputy managers and 80 veterinarians. Efforts are continuing to create a permanent staff of 80 veterinarians who will benefit from their services regularly.
As many as four NGOs participate in the ABC and ARV programs conducted in all 123 urban local bodies. For ABC and ARV drivers, 70 ULBs have been allocated to them. Reports indicate that ABC and ARV are currently actively held in only 45 ULBs. Efforts are on to commission the remaining ULBs to achieve the target.
Stray dogs subjected to ABC and ARV will have a small hole made in one of their ears for identification. City officials also plan to equip them with radio collars once ABC and ARV are completed. They are trying to mobilize funds for this work, which is undertaken alone by an IT firm in Anantapur.
The authorities also plan to develop kennels in ULBs to make accommodation of stray dogs more comfortable.
Authorities say an average of 4 to 5 percent of stray dog bites are recorded in outpatient wards of public hospitals. These hospitals have the rabies vaccine ready to administer to victims.
AP commissioner and director of municipal administration P Sampath Kumar said: “We have made plans to deal with the stray dog menace by completing ABC and ARV in the next few months. We are strengthening the system to deal with the problem permanently. We will even train dog catchers and design new tools to deal with the menace effectively.”
Civil authorities also appeal to citizens not to feed stray dogs indiscriminately; “This causes dogs to get involved in food fights and attack those around them.”
