Mira-Bhayandar: At a time when dog bite cases have reached alarming proportions and the animal husbandry department of the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) claims ignorance about the number of canines present in its area, the target of achieving 100 percent dog sterilization has been hanging in balance for over eight years.
The MBMC launched the Animal Birth Control project in 2004 at its lone sterilization clinic in Shire Gaothan, Uttan.
Multiple deadlines missed
After missing multiple deadlines, the MBMC enlisted a Thane-based organization in 2015 to ensure 100% sterilization of all stray dogs within a two-month time frame. However, the NGO was derecognized for cruelty to animals during birth control programs, prompting the MBMC to terminate the contract. Since then, the MBMC has been hiring various organizations for the sterilization project. The clinic remained idle for over eight months last year.
In November 2022, the MBMC entrusted the responsibility to a Bhayandar-based trust. After price revision, the MBMC now pays Rs 1,650 per dog for sterilization, regardless of gender. The contract includes the pickup of stray dogs, sterilization, administration of Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ARV), post-operative care, and their release back to their territory within a week. Equipped with 100 cages and a van, the agency has a team comprising veterinarians, dog catchers, and other supportive staff.
The MBMC claims to have sterilized 44,935 dogs from 2004 to 2022 in 18 years. While the figures from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023, stand at 2,419, the agency has sterilized 471 dogs in the past two months.
However, despite the MBMC's whopping expenditure of Rs 4,52,96,662 on the dog sterilization project over the past 18 years, uncertainty still looms over the target of neutering all dogs below the age of one year.
"We have upgraded the clinic's infrastructure to ensure the task is carried out scientifically and with results in mind," said Dr Vikram Niratle, who heads the MBMC's veterinary department. However, clarity eludes the fate of a deadline. According to the dog census programs conducted in 2007 and 2012, the dog count in the twin-city stood at 18,828 and 8,275, respectively.
The MBMC is unaware of the data related to the dog count conducted under the auspices of the Union Government's Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries (DAHDF) in 2018.
