R-ABC project to be launched today in Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Corporation claims that its R-ABC project, to be formally launched on Wednesday, will sort out issues related to the snowballing dog population. The project aims to conduct a survey, insert a microchip inside every dog, conduct animal birth control procedures as well as set up a system to ensure dogs get the annual rabies vaccination. The Rs 3 crore project will be inaugurated by Animal Husbandry Minister K. Raju at Government Veterinary Hospital, Pettah. Earlier the livestock census had counted close to 35,000 dogs of which 25,500 were pet dogs, and the number of stray dogs was around 9,500.

Officials said that a survey, launched as part of the R-ABC project, indicated that the numbers could not have changed much. Mayor V.K. Prasanth said that 80 per cent of patients who needed rabies injections would have been bitten by pet dogs, and the R-ABC project therefore aimed to secure the lives of maximum people. This is the first time that a local body in the country is taking up a microchip installing and rabies vaccination project, said Health Standing Committee Chairperson K. Sreekumar.

Every dog owner will have to pay a licensing fee of Rs 100 to get their dog vaccinated and microchip installed. The licensing fee will be Rs 500 for dog breeders. There are 15 government veterinary hospitals where the registration and microchip procedure will be conducted. In addition, 15 private veterinary practitioners will also be empanelled for this, to increase the project’s reach. A database of both pet and street dogs will be maintained. When it is time for the annual vaccination, a software solution, which is being developed by Information Kerala Mission (IKM), will send out sms alerts, according to Senior Veterinary Surgeon Prem Jain. The Animal Birth Control surgeries will be conducted at Government Veterinary Hospital, Thiruvallom, instead of the Government Veterinary Hospital, Pettah. Officials say the hospital’s 50-cent plot will be converted to an ABC facility, which can hold 200 dogs at a time.