WSD Activities

This programme is carried out at the kennels provided by the municipal corporation of Mumbai. On an average we carry out around 250 sterilisations a month. We have neutered over 33,500 street dogs.

Originally, we were allotted the A to E wards in South Mumbai. Now we cover the whole island city (Cuffe Parade to Mahim/Sion). The dog population in these areas has come down drastically due to our efforts.

The procedure: We follow the guidelines of the World Health Organisation and the Animal Welfare Board of India (Ministry of Environment & Forests). Street dogs are caught by the catching staff of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation by the sack-and-loop method. The WSD ambulance also goes out on a regular basis to catch the dogs. Some are also brought in by our team and volunteers. A number of dogs are also brought by the street and slum-dwellers who look after them.

Dogs who are in good condition are then surgically neutered by qualified and experienced veterinary surgeons. Ovario-hysterectomy is performed on the females and castration on the males. We believe that animal care should follow very high standards, therefore a lot of emphasis is placed on hygiene and cleanliness. The operated dogs are kept for a period of 7 to 10 days, until they are completely healed. Post-operative care is given by our veterinary physicians. The diet at our centres is vegetarian, and includes recipes for dogs with special dietary needs.

The dog's ear is notched while it is under anaesthesia. The dog can easily be identified as sterilised.

The dogs are then vaccinated against rabies and released, either by the Corporation catching staff or by our staff/ volunteers.

Although operating females has more immediate results on the dog population, we believe it is very important to sterilize males as well, since this reduces barking, fighting and aggression. We maintain a 60:40 ratio.

Dogs who are not fit for surgery are treated by us and operated only when they are in good health.

The results of our work can be clearly seen in the areas we have covered, especially South Mumbai, where the number of dogs and the number of dog-related complaints have reduced perceptibly over the years. The number of human rabies deaths has also dropped by over 90% since the programme was implemented.

What makes our sterilization programme unique:

• Each dog is given a seven-in-one vaccination before sterilisation.

• Stringent hygienic procedures are followed to ensure the safety of each dog. Great attention is paid to post-operative care.

• To sterilize the maximum number of dogs in an area, we make contact with street - dwellers and slum - dwellers and persuade them to have their dogs neutered by us.

• We encourage the public to get involved in the programme. For instance, we meet citizen's groups and ask them to have their neighbourhood dogs sterilized by us.