Chennai, Oct 22 (IANS) The Greater Chennai Corporation has vaccinated 1,50,303 stray dogs against rabies under a special campaign launched to protect residents and move towards the goal of a rabies-free city, Corporation Commissioner G.S. Sameeran said on Thursday.
The vaccination drive, conducted between August 11 and October 21, also provided treatment against internal and external parasites.
The corporation said the campaign forms part of efforts to implement the Chief Minister’s directive to make Tamil Nadu free of rabies.
Launched on August 11, the mass vaccination and parasite-control programme has covered stray dogs across the corporation’s 15 zones.
Camps are currently continuing in Valasaravakkam, Adyar, and Sholinganallur, according to a corporation statement.
Among the zones covered, Ambattur recorded the highest number of vaccinations, with 21,844 stray dogs receiving the vaccine and parasite treatment. Madhavaram followed with 15,038 dogs, while 13,849 were covered in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
The corporation reported vaccinating 12,752 dogs in Perungudi, 12,477 in Tondiarpet and 12,313 in Tiruvottiyur.
Another 11,895 dogs were covered in Anna Nagar and 10,131 in Kodambakkam. In Royapuram, 8,598 stray dogs received vaccination and treatment, while the corresponding figures were 7,782 in Teynampet, 7,200 in Manali and 4,343 in Alandur.
In the three zones where the camps remain underway, the corporation has so far vaccinated 3,943 dogs in Valasaravakkam, 3,985 in Adyar, and 4,153 in Sholinganallur.
These dogs were also treated for internal and external parasites as part of the same programme.
The civic body said the special camps were intended to safeguard the public against rabies while extending preventive veterinary care to stray dogs throughout the city. The campaign combines anti-rabies vaccination with parasite treatment, bringing both measures together through the special camps.
The corporation’s statement detailed coverage in each zone and identified the three areas where work was still continuing as of October 21.
Sameeran appealed to residents, pet owners and animal welfare activists to cooperate with the corporation in carrying out the drive and achieving its “Rabies-Free Chennai” objective. The corporation sought public participation in supporting the ongoing camps, describing cooperation from communities and those involved in animal welfare as part of the effort to eliminate rabies in Chennai.
–IANS
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