40% stray dogs neutered, claims Mohali civic body

Akash Ghai

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Tribune News Service

Mohali, July 24

The MC has claimed to have sterilised nearly 3,250 stray dogs, 40 per cent of their estimated number in the town.

According to a rough estimate of the MC authorities, the town, including the rural belt falling in the civic body limits, has nearly 8,000 stray dogs. On a number of occasions, the MC had announced to conduct a survey of the canine population but it did not conduct any such exercise so far.

Dr Meetpal, an MC official who supervises the dog sterilisation project being handled by the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Udgir, Maharashtra, an NGO, said around 10 to 15 dogs were being sterilised daily in the town, which meant that if the progress of the drive remained the same, it would take nearly a year and a half to complete the project.

“The post-operation health of the animal is also being taken care of before releasing it in the area from where it was caught,” said Dr Meetpal.

It is to be noted that the demand for reforms in the Animal Birth Control programme has been raised from time to time to make it more effective.

Even the MC authorities and certain councillors were of the opinion that the sterilisation project should be given to some other agency or hire the services of another such agency to expedite the work. The corporation had also planned to hire another NGO, which would install a chip under sterilised dog’s skin to maintain a proper record of stray canine.

Eyebrows were also being raised over the ‘seriousness’ of the programme when at least two-three incidents of sterilised animals giving birth to puppies came to the fore.