Thaindian News

New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS) Keeping in mind the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has conducted the first census of stray dogs, according to which there are over 260,000 of them in the capital.
According to MCD officials, no such data was available with them or any other civic agency. This survey - which has the number of sterilised and unsterilised dogs chalked out - will now help them work better towards the 70 percent sterilisation goal in the future.

Mayor Kanwar Sain, while talking about the survey, said: “In view of the requirement of minimising the population of stray dogs in Delhi, especially during the Commonwealth Games, the MCD decided to conduct a survey of the dog population to work out strategies for more effective control over this population in the city.”

The survey was done by NGO Wildlife SOS early this year.

As per the survey, Delhi has a total population of 262,740 stray dogs. In the areas under the MCD, the population is 252,000 while there are 7,630 in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area.

Of the total population, it was found that more male dogs were sterilised than females. Fifty-five percent male dogs were found to be sterilised while 45 percent females were sterilised.

“The aim, after conducting this survey, is to sterilize more females for better results in controlling the population of dogs,” the mayor said.

Besides a dog sterilisation unit at Karawal Nagar in northeast Delhi, other sites are being identified by the MCD to intensify the pace of sterilisation and immunisation programme for stray dogs.