CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has set a target of vaccinating at least 100 street dogs per day in each zone as part of a 60-day special drive to control rabies. The campaign, launched in collaboration with Worldwide Veterinary Services, will cover all 15 zones of the city.

Mayor R Priya inaugurated the programme on Saturday at a camp in Manali, where street dogs received anti-rabies and anti-parasite vaccines.

“Initial phase will focus on Manali, Madhavaram, and Tondiarpet zones. Thirty special teams, comprising volunteers, have been deployed, with each team instructed to vaccinate 100 dogs daily in their respective zones,” she said.

The vaccination drive will gradually expand to other parts of the city, ensuring coverage of all zones within two months. “This is a major step towards protecting residents from rabies and other diseases caused by dog bites,” the Mayor added.

Additionally, the teams will also carry out animal birth control (ABC) procedures on street dogs to curb their population. As per the Animal Birth Control Rules (2023), sterilised dogs will be marked with colour and released back to the same location.

According to the GCC data, Chennai has around 1.8 lakh stray dogs. Last year, 14,678 dogs underwent ABC, while 9,302 have been sterilised this year up to July. The civic body has urged pet owners to make use of the drive to vaccinate their pets as well.