Bengaluru: BBMP launches dog survey to control rabies

  The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palika (BBMP) in Bengaluru has initiated a dog survey to control rabies. The survey aims to assess the outcomes of a sterilization and anti-rabies vaccination program for stray dogs. It will gather data on the number of stray dogs, neutering surgeries, human-to-dog ratio, and ward-wise distribution.

To contain the rabies disease in Bengaluru, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palika (BBMP) has decided to conduct a dog survey in the city, starting on Tuesday, July 11.

The animal husbandry department is carrying out a sterilization and anti-rabies vaccination program for stray dogs to control their population and prevent rabies disease. The survey aims to assess the outcomes of this program.

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Dr KP Suresh, a scientist of Biostatistics, Dr Hemadri Divakar, a scientist of Virology, Dr Shreekrishna Islooru, Department of Microbiology at Veterinary College, Bangalore, and Dr Balaji Chandrashekhar and Dr Balaji Chandrasekhar, Manager Operations of WVS Institute and Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Department, along with the para-technical staff, will conduct the survey.

In the previous survey conducted in 2019, it was estimated that there were around 3.1 lakh stray dogs in the city. Since 2018, castration surgery and anti-rabies vaccination programs have been ongoing in eight zones of the Corporation.

To conduct the survey, the 840 sqkm area of the BBMP has been divided into 6,850 micro zones of 0.5 sq km. Out of these, 1,360 microzones, which account for 20 per cent of the total, have been selected for the survey. A team of 100 people, including 70 semi-technical staff from the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Department of Bangalore City District and 30 staff from the Animal Husbandry Department of the Corporation, will carry out the survey. 

Fifty teams have been formed, with each team consisting of two surveyors and supervised by 15 supervisors responsible for monitoring the stray dog survey ward-wise.

The survey will take place over 14 days, from 6 am to 8.30 am every day. Stray dogs found in the microzones should be uploaded, along with their images, to the WVS Data Collection website. The uploaded data can only be accessed by the officials and staff.

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After the completion of the 14-day survey, Dr KP Suresh will provide detailed statistics to the BBMP.

The main objectives of the survey are as follows:

* Obtain the total number of stray dogs under BBMP (male/female).

* Determine the percentage of stray dogs that have undergone neutering surgery (male/female).

* Determine the ratio of humans to dogs.

* Obtain the number of stray dogs ward-wise.