Greater Chennai Corporation makes microchipping must for pet dog licence

Owners found abandoning pets to face legal action; the move will also help in tracking lost pets.
The microchips will store details such as the pet’s name, species, breed, colour, sex, age, vaccination status
The microchips will store details such as the pet’s name, species, breed, colour, sex, age, vaccination status Photo| Express
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CHENNAI: To prevent abandonment of pet dogs and the subsequent increase of strays, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has made it compulsory to implant microchips on canines to get pet licence. A resolution was passed during the corporation council meeting at Ripon Building on Thursday.

Owners found abandoning their pets will face fines or legal action, the resolution said. This system will also help in tracking the lost pets.

Dr J Kamal Hussain, the GCC Veterinary officer, said, “The microchipping will be done at GCC’s six pet clinics and will be further extended to the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University’s veterinary hospital, and private veterinary clinics.”

The microchips will store details such as the pet’s name, species, breed, colour, sex, age, vaccination status, and a unique identification number recognised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

The GCC will develop a dedicated online software and a mobile app to be integrated with the corporation’s existing online pet licencing portal. In August 2023, GCC introduced an online licencing system, leading to 9,151 registrations so far. However, the current system only tracks pet numbers and vaccination status.

In 2024, a survey by the Worldwide Veterinary Service found around 1.8 lakh stray dogs in Chennai. The GCC, under TNAWB’s guidance, introduced the microchipping mandate to pin accountability on pet owners.

While now, Rs 50 is being charged to obtain a pet licence, the corporation is yet to decide about the charges for microchipping.

In a separate resolution, the GCC also approved the construction of four new Animal Birth Control centres in Nolambur, Otteri, Kallikuppam, and Madhavaram. Corporation Commissioner J Kumaragurubaran said that measures will be taken to establish the pet clinics within the existing Animal Birth Control centres in the city.

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