The Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC), began fitting stray dogs in the city with GPS-enabled collars carrying QR codes to digitally record and track their location, vaccination status, and other details, in addition to an ongoing anti-rabies vaccination drive.
Mayor Surinder Chauhan said the project is aimed at reducing rabies-related fatalities and improve public safety.
"Our vaccination and sterilisation drives have been going on for some time. Now, to minimise rabies cases where earlier, deaths were often discovered to have been caused by a dog bite only after the fact, we have started anti-rabies vaccination for dogs. So far, 2,000 dogs have been vaccinated. Alongside, we are attaching QR code collars that, when scanned, will reveal the dog's position. Dog lovers and animal welfare groups can also track them. For aggressive dogs, we will attach a red tag so they can be identified and handled separately. We are educating the public, working with social organisations, and starting a massive sterilisation campaign," Chauhan told ANI.
"We believe Shimla is the first city in the country to take such an initiative. Organisations from Goa, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Patiala, and Himachal Pradesh's Rampur have joined us. This programme will also produce the first dog census in India, digitising details of each stray. Once the programme concludes, the Chief Minister will formally close it." Chauhan added.
Shimla MLA Harish Janartha said the city was witnessing a high number of dog bite cases.
"Whenever we tried to take action for stray dogs, there were objections from NGOs or the courts. We first began with anti-rabies injections for both male and female dogs, and then sterilisation. In Shimla's 34 wards, there are currently 4,000-4,500 stray dogs. This campaign started on August 15 and will run till August 29, with participation from across India, from Maharashtra, Mumbai, Haryana, Punjab, Goa, and Himachal Pradesh's Rampur and Shimla," Janartha told ANI.
"I congratulate the Municipal Commissioner and his team for turning this into a practical reality. As of today, 2,011 dogs have been vaccinated and fitted with GPS-linked QR code collars. This will help maintain accurate records and identify aggressive dogs. Sterilisation will follow," said Janrtha.
The first phase of the campaign is already underway. This includes vaccination and marking of stray dogs. GPS collar installation is set to expand in the second stage.
"If this succeeds in Shimla, it should be implemented across all urban local bodies and smaller towns in Himachal. We have also designated feeding zones for dogs; feeding them elsewhere will be considered an offence to avoid creating dangerous concentrations in public areas. Currently, Shimla sees an average of 2-3 dog bite cases per day, sometimes up to four," he added.
Mayor Surinder Chauhan said the project is aimed at reducing rabies-related fatalities and improve public safety.
"Our vaccination and sterilisation drives have been going on for some time. Now, to minimise rabies cases where earlier, deaths were often discovered to have been caused by a dog bite only after the fact, we have started anti-rabies vaccination for dogs. So far, 2,000 dogs have been vaccinated. Alongside, we are attaching QR code collars that, when scanned, will reveal the dog's position. Dog lovers and animal welfare groups can also track them. For aggressive dogs, we will attach a red tag so they can be identified and handled separately. We are educating the public, working with social organisations, and starting a massive sterilisation campaign," Chauhan told ANI.
"We believe Shimla is the first city in the country to take such an initiative. Organisations from Goa, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Patiala, and Himachal Pradesh's Rampur have joined us. This programme will also produce the first dog census in India, digitising details of each stray. Once the programme concludes, the Chief Minister will formally close it." Chauhan added.
Shimla MLA Harish Janartha said the city was witnessing a high number of dog bite cases.
"Whenever we tried to take action for stray dogs, there were objections from NGOs or the courts. We first began with anti-rabies injections for both male and female dogs, and then sterilisation. In Shimla's 34 wards, there are currently 4,000-4,500 stray dogs. This campaign started on August 15 and will run till August 29, with participation from across India, from Maharashtra, Mumbai, Haryana, Punjab, Goa, and Himachal Pradesh's Rampur and Shimla," Janartha told ANI.
"I congratulate the Municipal Commissioner and his team for turning this into a practical reality. As of today, 2,011 dogs have been vaccinated and fitted with GPS-linked QR code collars. This will help maintain accurate records and identify aggressive dogs. Sterilisation will follow," said Janrtha.
The first phase of the campaign is already underway. This includes vaccination and marking of stray dogs. GPS collar installation is set to expand in the second stage.
"If this succeeds in Shimla, it should be implemented across all urban local bodies and smaller towns in Himachal. We have also designated feeding zones for dogs; feeding them elsewhere will be considered an offence to avoid creating dangerous concentrations in public areas. Currently, Shimla sees an average of 2-3 dog bite cases per day, sometimes up to four," he added.
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Shimla to fit stray dogs with GPS-enabled collars, track vaccination status digitally in a 'first-of -its-kind initiative
