Chennai: Across the city, one of the most consistent nuisances for residents is always with the stray dogs.
There have been many incidents involving resident being bitten by dogs. Steps have been taken by residents to reduce the menace by calling for the Corporation’s help to take away dogs that regularly cause trouble in many areas.
Teynampet residents will be surprised to know that a report from the Chennai Corporation revealed that there has been a decrease in the dog population here.
Recently, the Chennai Corporation equipped itself with a customised mobile application which was used to conduct the street dog census.
With the help of this app, civic officials record a photograph of the dogs they see on streets and add details such as its breed, age, and other vital information.
Reports reveal that six zones were covered so far to carry out the dog census. The areas included Teynampet, Adyar, Royapuram, Kodambakkam, Manali and Perungudi.
Here, four zones including Teynampet and its surrounding areas showed a reduction in the dog population when compared to the census that was recorded in 2014.
Speaking to News Today, a senior Corporation official said,”We have been consistently performing sterilisation to stray dogs and it is one of the reasons for the reduction in their numbers at the zones we have covered so far.” The official added that the customised app has been helpful for the civic authorities to carry out the census operations.
According to Corporation reports, the dogs that were accounted for during the 2014 census numbered to nearly 28,400 in these six zones while the recent census showed around 18,000 dogs. In Teynampet zone, in 2014 about 5,800-5,900 dogs were recorded and so far this year’s dog census is found to be reduced to nearly 3,000 dogs. “More areas are yet to be covered,” said the official. And added that they will be completed in the coming weeks.
Speaking about stray dogs, Srivatsan, a Teynampet resident said,”I feel strays dogs are not a threat to residents who live here. But people passing here in bikes and other vehicles need to be more cautious as they normally chase newcomers.”
But there are even those who feel that stray dogs offer free vigilance around the area as they tend to get aggressive when they see an unfamiliar face crossing a road. You may have witnessed it yourself; the dog that lives in your street may ignore you but it will start growling at strangers like delivery men or especially the homeless.
“We have been performing sterilisation to stray dogs and it is one of the reasons for the reduction in their numbers at the zones we have covered so far,” says a Corporation official