Chennai: More than one lakh stray dogs have received anti-rabies shots under a campaign by the Greater Chennai Corporation, taking the 75-day drive past the halfway point of its two-lakh target.
The civic body said 1,00,378 dogs had been vaccinated as of September 25. Launched on August 11, the campaign uses mobile teams to reach stray dogs in different parts of Chennai.
The animals are also being given medication to control internal and external parasites.
Ambattur leads the zones covered so far, with 21,844 dogs vaccinated. Madhavaram follows with 15,038, while teams have vaccinated 12,477 dogs in Tondiarpet and 12,313 in Tiruvottiyur. Anna Nagar has recorded 11,895 vaccinations, Royapuram 8,598 and Manali 7,200. Another 4,343 dogs have been covered in Alandur.
The drive began in the northern zones of Tiruvottiyur, Manali and Tondiarpet before expanding to other areas.
Vaccination work is now underway in Kodambakkam, Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar and Perungudi, as the corporation works towards its target.
The figures show that the campaign has passed 50 per cent of its stated goal, with 99,622 vaccinations still needed to reach two lakh.
Ambattur alone accounts for more than one-fifth of all vaccinations recorded by September 25. The corporation has not provided a zone-wise estimate of the number of stray dogs yet to be vaccinated.
The number of shots delivered in each area, therefore, shows how much work teams have completed, but does not establish what proportion of that zone’s stray dogs have been covered.
The vaccination programme combines rabies prevention with parasite control during each encounter with a dog.
Giving both treatments together allows the mobile teams to attend to the animals while moving through neighbourhoods. The corporation has not given separate figures for the number of dogs receiving parasite medication.
With the halfway milestone reached, further progress will depend on how quickly teams can cover areas where vaccination is underway and continue the drive across the city.
The civic body’s stated target remains two lakh stray dogs over 75 days. Its September 25 count is the latest reported measure of progress since the campaign began in August.
(IANS)
