MUMBAI: A group of 20 stray dogs residing outside Mumbai's city airport were given a remarkable form of identification on Saturday morning. They were adorned with 'Aadhaar' cards, featuring QR codes that, when scanned, provide essential information about the dogs, including their names, contact details of their feeders, vaccination records, sterilization history, and other medical details in case they go missing.

With great enthusiasm, a team meticulously attached the identity cards to the dogs' scruffs. While one familiar feeder endeavored to win their trust, the canines remained cautious as other team members approached. After a couple of hours of effort, the team successfully tagged 20 dogs. Seizing the opportunity, the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) also took the chance to vaccinate the dogs outside Terminal 1 of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Sahar.

Akshay Ridlan, an engineer from Sion and the brain behind the unique identification tags through his initiative called 'pawfriend.in,' explained, "We started around 8:30 am and were chasing the dogs to fix the QR code tags and to vaccinate them. If a pet gets lost or is relocated, the QR code tag can facilitate reuniting it with its family. It can also help the BMC maintain a centralized database of strays in the city."

Sonia Shelar, a resident of Bandra who feeds around 300 stray dogs daily, including those outside the airport, collaborated with the BMC vet to administer the vaccines while a member from pawfriend attached the tags. The team consisted of dog-catchers from Yoda, BMC vets, and airport officials.

Dr. Kalim Pathan, head of BMC's veterinary health services, confirmed that the dogs were vaccinated and underwent a basic health check. He mentioned that all the captured dogs had already been sterilized. Regarding the QR code tagging for dogs outside the airport, he added, "This pilot project will help us assess its effectiveness and explore possibilities for future implementation."

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