Stray dog census: 10-day drive to begin in Bhubaneswar in September

Starting from the second week of September, a comprehensive dog census will be carried out across the State Capital under Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) limits. The initiative, confirmed by BMC Commissioner Chanchal Rana, aims to generate accurate data on the city’s stray dog population, official sources said on Thursday.

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The head count will involve Swachh Sathis, sanitation workers, and BMC officials. Before the counting begins, BMC will provide proper training to all personnel involved. The exercise is scheduled to be completed within 10 days.

Based on advice from veterinary experts, the census will be conducted ward-wise in a single phase. Each ward will have a team of three to four officers assigned for the task.

Until now, estimates of the stray dog population in Bhubaneswar were made in proportion to human population density. These estimates placed the number of stray dogs between 40,000 and 45,000. However, the BMC officials believe that actual numbers could differ significantly.

Commissioner Rana has stated that the data collected from this census will provide precise information about the stray dog population in each area of the city, which will help in better planning for animal birth control, vaccination, and public safety measures.

When contacted, the BMC Commissioner said, “We are going to start a dog count, since a survey was previously conducted long ago. We did not have a data base as to exactly what number of dogs is there within the civic limits. We get to see different figures, statistics, and debates on social media and other mass media on this.”

“In order to give it a scientific shape, we will carry out a seven to 10-day long census drive. Different census models are there. Either it can be conducted in each ward, which is more accurate, or can be done by taking a sample number from some of the wards. However, we will extensively carry out the head count in each ward,” Commissioner Rana stated.