BHUBANESWAR: The state capital is home to over 47,000 stray dogs, revealed the first comprehensive dog census of the city carried out by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). The census was carried out in the city in two phases from September 18 to 25.
Releasing the census report on Monday, mayor Sulochana Das said the stray dog ratio is three times more than the national average. The city is home to a total of 47,126 stray dogs, accounting for around 3.62 per cent of the 13 lakh people in the state capital.
Of this population, 23,047 are males, 15,552 females while 1,124 are puppies. As many as 4,068 male and 3,335 female dogs have already been sterilised, Das said. She underlined that the main objective of the survey was to devise appropriate plan to contain stray dog population in the city, reduce dog bite cases and prevent deadly diseases like rabies.
BMC officials said the stray dog population in the city is comparatively higher than the national average and marginally lower than the state average. Citing the 20th livestock census data of the department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, they said the national average of stray dog count is around 11 per 1,000 people, while it stands at 36 per 1,000 in Bhubaneswar. The average at the state-level in Odisha is, however, slightly higher, at 39 per 1,000 population.
The enumeration was carried out across all streets in the 67 wards of the civic body between 5 am and 7 am in which a total of 410 teams, supervised by senior veterinary doctors, Swachh Sathis, Swachh supervisors, sanitary inspectors, community organisers and other officials were engaged.
As per the census, each ward in the capital houses an average of 703 stray dogs. However, 10 wards in the city were found to have more than 1,000 of these stray canines. Ward no 23 has the highest stray dog population of 1,703 followed by 1,669 in ward no 7; 1,518 in ward no 49; 1,499 in ward no 65; 1,418 in ward no 4; 1,209 in ward no 9; 1,151 in ward no 5; 1,135 in ward no 56; 1,063 in ward no 43 and 1,062 in ward no 6.
Terming the census as the first-of-its-kind, BMC officials claimed no urban local bodies (ULBs) or any province of the state had earlier taken any such initiate in the past. They further added that the detailed survey method adopted by the civic body in the census was also a first-of-its-kind as earlier, the few states that had carried out the dog census followed random survey method where they covered only a part of the total area to amplify the count using a developed formula.
The officials further stated that the census will also help authorities in launching a comprehensive animal birth control programme/dog sterilisation drive and in addressing traffic problems and accidents caused by stray dogs.
