Citywide Rabies Drive Launched in Chennai to Cover 200K Strays

In early August, the Greater Chennai Corporation will roll out a comprehensive rabies immunisation programme targeting approximately two hundred thousand stray dogs across the metropolitan area. The effort follows a 2023 campaign that vaccinated 147,000 dogs, against an estimated stray count of 180,000 at the time. With the stray population expected to rise, the new target has been increased to 200,000.

The vaccination initiative is part of a broader animal welfare strategy that includes expanding the corporation’s animal birth control (ABC) infrastructure. Out of fifteen planned ABC centres, eleven are already operational. Two additional hubs in Nandambakkam and Perungudi are slated to begin work next week, and the remaining facilities in Ambattur‑Athipattu and Sholingallur will be active by the fourth week of August. Completing the network is projected to double daily sterilisation procedures from roughly 200 to about 400.

Since the start of the year, the city has carried out 24,000 sterilisation surgeries, with month‑by‑month numbers climbing from 1,490 in January to a peak of 5,324 in July.

While the campaign promises free vaccines for pet owners, animal‑rights organisations have voiced worries over the capture methods for stray dogs, the safety of vaccine storage, and the return of treated animals to their locales. GCC has refuted these claims, stating that all vaccines are kept under proper cold‑chain conditions and that animal handling follows established guidelines.

The corporation is calling on community members, especially dog owners and rescue groups, to support the drive, thereby extending coverage and reducing rabies risk across Chennai.