Chennai, August 5: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is set to launch a citywide vaccination campaign in the second week of August, aiming to vaccinate approximately 200,000 stray dogs. This initiative is part of ongoing efforts to prevent rabies and improve animal welfare.
The campaign will cover all areas of the city and will provide free rabies and parasite vaccines for pet dogs. Pet owners are encouraged to take advantage of this program and vaccinate their animals.
Last year, the corporation vaccinated around 147,000 stray dogs when the stray dog population in Chennai was estimated to be about 180,000. Given the anticipated increase in the dog population, the GCC has raised this year’s vaccination target to 200,000 dogs. This campaign is being conducted alongside the expansion of the corporation’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) infrastructure.
Currently, 11 out of 15 ABC centers in Chennai are operational. Two additional centers in Nandambakkam and Perungudi will begin operations next week, while the remaining centers in Ambattur and Sholinganallur are expected to be operational by the fourth week of August.
Once all 15 facilities are up and running, the GCC expects a significant increase in its capacity to complete sterilization procedures. The existing centers collectively perform about 200 contraceptive operations daily. With the additional facilities, this number is projected to double to approximately 400 operations per day. Since January, around 24,000 sterilization operations have been conducted on stray dogs. The number of operations has steadily increased from 1,490 in January to 5,324 in July, marking the highest monthly figure to date.
However, this vaccination campaign has been initiated amidst concerns raised by animal welfare activists regarding the treatment of stray dogs during capture and vaccination efforts. There are also worries about maintaining the necessary cold-chain conditions for vaccines and safely returning vaccinated animals to their territories. The GCC has dismissed allegations of improper vaccine management, stating that vaccination vials are stored and transported with the required safety measures.
The corporation has also called for greater public participation in this campaign, particularly from pet owners, local livestock keepers, and rescuers, as the goal is to expand vaccination coverage and reduce the risk of rabies transmission across Chennai.
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