Hyderabad: Despite numerous complaints about street dogs, The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials report that over 80% of community dogs in the city have been sterilized.
A GHMC official stated, “More than 80% of community dogs have been sterilized in the city, with some areas reaching over 90%. The only exceptions are the peripheral and hill areas, which have not yet been fully covered. However, almost all city center areas have achieved a 90% sterilization rate.”
According to official data, the GHMC, in collaboration with animal welfare organizations, sterilized perform around 50,000 sterilizations annually. The numbers for subsequent years are as follows: 73,601 in 2021-22, 47,874 in 2022-23, and 51,887 in 2023-24.
The GHMC conducts the Animal Birth Control-cum-Anti Rabies (ABC-AR) program to manage the homeless dog population and mitigate related issues. Since the incorporation of GHMC in 2007, the street dog population has reduced significantly from over 800,000 to 370,000, with the help of ABC centers and other initiatives.
To enhance the sterilization and anti-rabies vaccination efforts, GHMC has augmented its fleet of dog-catching vehicles. In addition to the existing 30 vehicles, 20 more have been hired to assist in these operations. Special drives are also being organized to target 100% of homeless dogs in areas like the banks of the Musi River, military bases, and forest regions.
