1 week Ago
LUCKNOW The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) will soon initiate a dog survey in the state capital to ascertain the number of strays and realign its sterilization strategy to cover both older and newer municipal limits more effectively. The canine population is expected to be its highest - 1.5 lakh - almost the double of 75,000 counted during the previous exercise in 2019, said LMC animal husbandry officer Abhinav Verma.
He explained that the impact of any sterilisation drive is witnessed roughly in 5 years. The drive, which began in September 2019, was interrupted for nearly two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When the campaign resumed, the number of stray dogs had increased.
During this period, the boundaries of the LMC were also expanded, but these newly added areas have not yet been included in the stray dog survey. Around 90% of the stray dog population (roughly 1.5 lakh) will be sterilized over a period of time.
“In any given area, if a drive targets 10 stray dogs, only 5 or 6 are typically caught and sterilized, while the rest are left,” said the officer. In a letter issued on April 17, 2025, the civic body has asked the private agency currently handling sterilization and vaccination of stray dogs to begin counting. The decision comes as officials estimate that the number of stray dogs in the city may now exceed 1.
5 lakh, said Verma. The letter highlights that though approximately 90,000 dogs have been sterilized between 2019 and 2024, a substantial increase in their population has occurred due to several factors. These include natural reproduction, lack of uniform sterilization across newly added areas, and the inclusion of 88 villages under LMC limits in 2020.
“The city limits have expanded significantly since 2019 when the last survey reported 75,000 stray dogs. Villages like Maleshamau, Khargapur, Amrai, Hardasi Kheda and others were brought under municipal jurisdiction. These areas had no prior sterilization coverage,” said Verma.
The officer explained that on an average, a female dog gives birth to 10 to 12 puppies annually, which, if unchecked, contributes to exponential growth. “Based on our observations and calculations, the estimated stray dog population now may have crossed 1.5 lakh,” he said.
The civic body emphasised that a fresh survey is essential not only to estimate the current population but also to formulate an area-wise sterilization plan to minimize human-dog conflict and dog bite cases. “Without accurate data, planning and execution, sterilization drives cannot be effective,” Verma added. According to LMC officials, dog bite cases usually spike during mating seasons or when people feed stray dogs or when relocation efforts trigger aggression among the animals.
In 2024 alone, over 100 dog bite complaints were registered with the LMC. “To address such complaints, the corporation captures the dogs involved, keeps them under medical observation, and then releases them back to their locality if no threat is found,” said another official. He added that per dog sterilization now costs the LMC around ₹ 1,250 - up from ₹ 950 earlier, which is paid to the private agency contracted through e tender.
The letter also noted that according to a December 2024 survey by the sterilization agency, about 84% of dogs within old municipal limits have been given anti-rabies vaccinations and sterilized. However, the newly added areas still lack adequate coverage. Officials estimate that if the city’s current population stands at around 40 lakh, then going by standard urban animal population ratios, dog numbers should ideally be around 1.
2 lakh. However, due to rapid reproduction and lack of strict population control measures, the figure may have reached between 1.5 and 2 lakh.
“Population control is the only legal and sustainable method to reduce dog-related conflicts. Its impact, however, becomes visible only over five years,” said Verma. “The survey will begin soon, incorporating new areas hence a revised map needs to be prepared following the expansion of LMC limits,” said Chirag Patel, assistant manager at the private agency handling the project.
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