![]() While ABC needs to be done only once per dog, vaccinations are needed annually. Whereas according to WHO, the rate should be at least 70% for the programme to be successful. For 2022-23, the coverage is only around 40% as of mid-February. This includes dogs that were part of the dedicated ARV programme, and also those that underwent the vaccination as part of ABC.Īssuming that stray dog numbers didn’t increase since the 2019 survey, this means ARV coverage was only around 30% and 54% respectively in 2020-22. As per BBMP Animal Husbandry Department’s data, a total of 94,192 dogs were vaccinated in 2020-21 and 1.7 lakh in 2021-22. ![]() The BBMP started its separate ARV programme in 2020 based on the draft National Action Plan for dog-mediated Rabies Elimination (NAPRE), says Dr Manjunath Shinde, Assistant Director (Animal Husbandry), BBMP.ĭata shows that the coverage under ARV - which is supposed to be done annually for all stray dogs - is also low. Dr Ravikumar says that Palike is going to call new tenders this year. Though BBMP is supposed to give contracts to NGOs annually for implementing the programmes, the tenure of NGOs selected three years ago was being extended as there are few players in the space. In 2022-23, BBMP allocated around Rs 15 crore for the two programmes combined.ĭr K P Ravikumar, Joint Director (Animal Husbandry) at BBMP, says that the Palike will conduct a stray dog census soon to assess the programme’s success. A modelling study Dr Vanak co-authored, which was published in the journal Scientific Reports in 2020, found that even with high investment and effort for ABC, there would be no significant reduction in population or increase in vaccination coverage in the context of Indian cities. Given the high stray dog numbers in India and the high rate of sterilisation needed in a short period, he believes achieving the target is nearly impossible for any municipality. The average life expectancy of street dogs is 3-5 years, and the sterilised dogs are quickly replaced by new dogs,” he says. “Ninety per cent sterilisation should be done over a short period of time, and not over five or 10 years because then you’re always chasing after the growth rate. According to various studies, 90% should be sterilised in the first year, for the programme to be successful over time, says Dr Vanak. This was a steep increase compared to the 2013 census numbers of 1.85 lakh, indicating that ABC didn’t reduce dog numbers over time.īesides, only 51% of dogs identified in the 2019 census had undergone ABC. According to him, BBMP should conduct rigorous surveys annually to estimate stray dog numbers and the proportion that’s sterilised (which can be identified by their clipped ears).īBMP’s last stray dog survey was in 2019, which showed 3.09 lakh stray dogs. Though BBMP started its ABC programme way back in 2007, dog bite and rabies cases persist.īengaluru-based animal ecologist Dr Abi T Vanak says it’s difficult to assess the success of ABC and the recently-introduced dedicated anti-rabies vaccination programme (ARV) without baseline data on the dog numbers. Under the programme, dogs are picked up, sterilised, vaccinated and released back on the streets. This too excludes many private hospital patients.Īnimal Birth Control (ABC) Rules were introduced in India in 2001 as a humane solution to reduce the dog population and combat rabies. ![]() In 2021-22, 17,610 people in Bengaluru were bitten by dogs, including strays and pets. The number of reported dog bites and attacks is way higher. The rabies numbers for the whole city are hard to track as private hospitals often don’t report cases to the government. The victims were from different age groups and genders, the youngest being 11-year-old Likhith Yadav. In 2022, six rabies deaths within the BBMP limits were recorded at the government’s Epidemic Diseases Hospital alone. BBMP has been scaling up its programmes, but there is a long way to go. While India has a national action plan to eliminate rabies by 2030, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) aims to achieve it sooner, by 2025.
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