12,320 dogs immunised in a month

According to an official, the drive was organised in such a manner to complete immunisation in one zone before going to another zone. Presently, the drive is ongoing in Ambattur for the last few days. “We first started the drive in Madhavaram zone where we immunised 8,846 dogs during the eight-day drive. Following that, we covered 3,474 dogs in Alandur zone,” the official said.

Curiously, the Corporation had identified only 6,450 and 2,576 stray dogs respectively in Madhavaram and Alandur zones during the dog census. However, the data released by the civic body claims it has immunised a higher number of dogs. When contacted, an official said that pregnant dogs during the census had given birth to puppies. “We have immunised 2,000 more dogs in Madhavaram, as more than 800 new puppies have been identified. Also, a lot of residents approach our workers to immunise their pet dogs,” he said.

As per the dog census, there are more than 57,000 stray dogs in the city and civic body intends to cover all the identified dogs and new puppies in 75 days. “Earlier, the Corporation would immunise pet dogs and stray dogs caught for sterilisation. We are planning to conduct this type of mass drive once in a few years,” he added.