GHMC wakes up from slumber, out to tame stray dog menace

Hyderabad: In view of the rising number of dog-bite incidents in the city, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, through its veterinary department, has launched a comprehensive initiative aimed at capturing and sterilising stray animals. Teams from the GHMC veterinary section have successfully caught 788 street dogs, providing them with essential anti-rabies vaccination and sterilising 323.

The GHMC has introduced a plan to manage the street dog population and reduce related problems. Its focus is on sterilisation, vaccination, and raising public awareness to create a safer environment for everyone. The corporation has initiated steps to prevent dog bite incidents. Efforts are on by officials for complete implementation of Animal Birth Control and Anti-Rabies (ABC-AR) programmes.

The teams apprehended street dogs from six GHMC circles. A senior GHMC officer said following complaints from residents, the teams caught dogs and sterilised them. “In the last two days, the dog-catching teams of the veterinary section, along with animal welfare organisations, have caught over 788 dogs across the city and administered the anti-rabies vaccine. Additionally, 323 dogs were sterilised according to guidelines set by the Animal Welfare Board of India,” said Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Abdul Wakil.

On the first day, the CVO reported that the teams successfully captured 374 street dogs and sterilised 145. The following day saw an even greater effort, with 414 dogs caught and 178 sterilised.

Following complaints of monkey menace, the GHMC Khairtabad zone has arranged an automatic monkey-trapping cage at Venkatapuram Colony, Banjara Hills. Earlier, GHMC commissioner K Ilambarithi directed officials to carry out sterilisation in large numbers to prevent dog menace in the city. In the last week of October, he inspected the Fatullaguda animal sanctuary, dog-catching vehicle, operation theatre, and pet dog crematorium. He enquired with veterinary officers how many dogs were caught by dog handlers and the number of sterilisations done every day. Ilambarithi said field-level officials should issue reviews daily and catch a large number of dogs. He instructed the veterinary department to study how cities like London, New York, and Singapore handle stray dog issues.