Animal welfare organisations not coming forward for ABC programme: BBMP

Civic body to apprise Animal Welfare Board of India of the same

Owing to poor response from welfare groups to the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is set to write to the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), urging it to accord recognition to more organisations. The civic body is also mulling over the possibility of contacting welfare groups in other States.

BBMP’s Special Commissioner (Animal Husbandry and Solid Waste Management) D. Randeep told The Hindu that the civic body had floated an Expression of Interest (EoI) for two zones – East and Bommanahalli – but received no response.

“We did not float a tender as the rates for the ABC and Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ARV) programmes have been fixed at ₹1,200 and ₹150 per dog respectively. However, we received no response. We will be floating the EoI again,” he said.

The problem, he said, is that there are very few organisations that are recognised by the AWBI to carry out the ABC programme.

“We will request the AWBI to accord recognition, though temporary, to some organisation or even veterinarians who have been trained by the Worldwide Veterinary Services (WVS), monitor their performance for a while, say six months, and then accord permanent recognition,” he said.

The dog census in all 198 wards in the city in 2019 estimated the stray dog population at 3.09 lakh, of which around 54% are neutered. The previous estimated dog population was two lakh in 2006.

Given the rise in the number of stray dogs, eight vendors for the eight zones may not be enough. Currently, there are four organisations that are operating in Mahadevapura, Yelahanka, Rajarajeshwarinagar, South, West and Dasarhalli zones.

“Yelahanka and Dasarahalli are better placed than the other zones. We also need concerted efforts in the three core zones,” he said and added that by the end of 2020, the two zones could well be declared as ‘No new puppy zones’.