LUCKNOW: India's first animal birth control centre has been set up in Lucknow

The aim of animal birth control centres is to serve as specialised spots where stray dogs and cats can be brought for sterilisation before being returned to the communities where they were originally collected.

In these facilities, rained para veterinarians will sterilise the strays and give follow-up care. The Lucknow Municipal Corporation has been handling this process up to this point in temporary facilities.

In light of the ongoing discussion around dog bite incidents in the city, the "Dog Matters" seminar, held by the urban development department on Thursday evening, covered the Animal Birth Control (ABC) initiative.

Speakers emphasized that animals' violence against people is a retaliatory response to the aggression displayed towards them by humans. According to experts, leaving food waste on the streets to rot is a significant contributor to dogs straying into residential areas.

Veterinarians, Animal rights activists and several district administration officials were present at this convention to discuss the importance of the ABC project taken up in Lucknow, and the importance of a healthy coexistence of man and animals in society. ABC committees will be formed at the central, state, and district levels.

Amrit Abhijat, the department's principal secretary for urban development, as well as representatives from People for Animals, Humane Society International, Mercy for Animals, and other groups, attended the seminar.

Gauri Maulekhi, a trustee with People for Animals, asserts that if canines are removed from the area, other animals, including rats, will move in to take their place. It is impossible for any area to be completely devoid of animal life because this is how nature maintains its equilibrium. As a result, the ABC project rules recommend community feeding of dogs in any region. This fosters interaction between stray animals and people while also preventing fights amongst the animals over food that has been dumped.

It was also disclosed that the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) will open a training facility in Lucknow in a few months to teach people how to neuter and immunise street canines.

Street cats are also sterilised as part of the new ABC project revisions made this year. Additionally, if independent organisations are running sterilisation efforts for stray dogs and cats, they are required to report the number of strays treated on a monthly basis to the regional ABC board.

Maulekhi emphasised the ABC project's ability to benefit the city immediately and serve as an example for other states to follow. She made the observation that fewer puppies have been seen recently, and that rabies cases will soon follow suit. It is challenging to reduce the number of dogs in any culture because, according to Dr. Bandhanpreet Kaur of PETA, "dogs give birth to at least two litters per year, with 8–9 pups each time, which amounts to nearly 100 puppies in a healthy dog's lifetime."

"When they observe strays approaching their homes, children are encouraged to throw stones at the dogs or beat them with sticks. They become hostile towards people as a result of these activities. No infant or puppy is born hostile, Kaur said.

Special Secretary for Urban Development Rajendra Pensiya stated that the ABC initiative has been a huge success. The municipal commissioner Inderjit Singh noted that "almost 55,000 dogs have already been sterilised in Lucknow."

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