By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Rudrapur, 10 May: Humane Society International/India (HIS), an organisation that works in the field of animal welfare, has launched the first Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme in Rudrapur to sterilise and vaccinate the city’s street dogs. This project has been launched in collaboration with the Rudrapur Nagar Nigam. Under this programme, an Animal Birth Control Centre has been set up in Rudrapur that aims at achieving sterilisation and vaccination coverage of 80 percent of dogs over the next two years. According to the survey conducted by HSI/India in January 2023, it was found that there is a zero-sterilisation rate of stray dogs in the city. This is the fifth such ABC Centre to be set up in Uttarakhand. Other centres are operating in Dehradun, Rishikesh, Nainital and Mussoorie currently.
The programme brings data-driven monitoring, robust community engagement and global surgery protocols and standards to the 5th largest city of Uttarakhand to humanely manage the dog population and promote peaceful coexistence of humans and street dogs.
Rudrapur becomes the fifth city after Dehradun, Rishikesh, Nainital and Mussoorie in Uttarakhand, with an aim to make the state a model state for street dog population management. Humane Society International/India has been implementing Animal Birth Control and Anti-Rabies Vaccination program for street dogs in the state of Uttarakhand since December 2016. The HSI has already sterilised and vaccinated over 51,000 street dogs in the state alone.
Dr Neeraj Kumar, senior manager of Dog Management Programme at the HIS, said that spaying and neutering is just a part of the street dog puzzle. For any ABC programme to be successful, it is important for the stakeholders involved to be supportive and cooperative. He added that the organisation is delighted to be working with the municipality and the local community, alike, not only to make Rudrapur a model city for street dogs but also to make it a sustainable campaign over next two years. This is an ideal manner to control the population of stray dogs in a totally humane way and ensuring longer and healthier lives for stray dogs.
Dr Kumar further claimed that the society’s compassion and empathy are reflected by the way it treats its animals. It is not just about population control but also about extending a hand of care and dignity to stray dogs that live in the cities. Municipal Health Officer of Rudrapur, Dr Harshpal Singh stated that the Nagar Nigam is looking forward to seeing an effective animal birth control and anti-rabies vaccination programme in Rudrapur with the active role of HIS India on the ground.
