Shimla: The Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC), one of India’s oldest civic bodies, has launched a pioneering initiative to manage the city’s stray dog population by fitting them with GPS-enabled collars embedded with QR codes. This innovative effort accompanies an ongoing anti-rabies vaccination and sterilisation drive aimed at curbing rabies-related fatalities and enhancing public safety.

Mayor Surinder Chauhan explained that the GPS collars will digitally record each dog’s location, vaccination status, and behavioural details. Aggressive dogs will be marked with red tags for easy identification and safer handling. The collars also allow animal welfare groups and residents to scan QR codes and track dog movements.

To date, around 2,000 dogs have been vaccinated and tagged as part of the campaign that will continue until August 29. The data collected will contribute to India’s first digital stray dog census, enabling more effective population control and health monitoring.

The responsibility for data upload and verification involves multiple public health officials, ensuring accuracy and transparency—an improvement over previous practices where data was less scrutinised. Public awareness programs are being conducted to educate citizens on managing stray dogs and creating safer feeding zones.

While the initiative has been welcomed for its technological innovation and potential impact, residents have voiced concerns about the increasing stray dog menace and the fear it generates, especially among children. Officials stress that while the municipal corporation is constrained by Animal Birth Control rules and legal challenges, this program represents a major step in addressing community safety.

Shimla sees an average of 2-3 dog bite cases daily, with some wards reporting up to four cases per day. The program’s success could serve as a model for other urban bodies across Himachal Pradesh and India.

This campaign is the culmination of collaborative efforts involving veterinary experts from across India and aims to balance animal welfare with public health priorities in one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.

With inputs from ANI