The Animal Birth Control (ABC) Programme in Bhubaneswar is carried out in joint collaboration with the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and the Animal Resources Development Department to curb the dog population.
The programme has been implemented on a regular basis since June 2008 and dogs have been sterilised and vaccinated against rabies at the Veterinary Poly Clinic, Sahid Nagar, where presently the kennel strength is for 120 dogs and about 80 dogs can be operated upon weekly.
In 2015-16, as many as 846 male and 2,322 female dogs of the city were sterilised.
Further, 120 dogs from Paradip town in collaboration with the Indian Oil Corporation limited (IOCl) and the Indian Farmer Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) and 57 dogs of the Chilika Naval Base in collaboration with the INS Chilika were also operated upon at Sahid Nagar. All total, 3,345 dogs were sterilided during 2015-16, which is 77 per cent higher than in 2014-15.
Rabies is the 10th biggest cause of death due to infectious diseases worldwide. It is estimated that 2.5 billion people across 100 countries are at risk of contracting rabies. The annual death toll is around 50,000-60,000, with 99 per cent occurring in tropical developing countries. Around 36 per cent of the rabies-related deaths occur in India every year with dog bites. The only realistic and workable solution to combating rabies is to control dog population through birth control and subsequent vaccination by anti-rabies vaccine.
Another new operation theatre along with a dog pound is proposed to be set up very soon at Sahid Nagar. This would upscale the ABC programme in Bhubaneswar to operate 400 dogs per week and control the stray dog population within a short period of time. There is also a proposal to set up a second ABC unit at Kalarahanga to operate 600 dogs per week.