Lucknow: In an effort to bring a more scientific and organised approach to managing the city’s growing stray dog population, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) will begin implanting microchips in community dogs from April.Officials said the rice-grain-sized microchip will be inserted through a simple injection procedure during sterilisation at Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres. The chip will store vital information that can be accessed through a handheld scanner, including sterilisation status, anti-rabies vaccination records, location details and any history of bite incidents. Animal welfare officer Abhinav Verma said the move will help create a reliable scientific database and strengthen monitoring. He explained that each chip will function as a digital identity for the animal, allowing teams to quickly verify whether a dog has already been sterilised or vaccinated, reducing duplication of efforts. “The chip will store essential data of each dog, which can be accessed through a scanner for quick identification and tracking,” Verma said. He added that behaviour monitoring will also become easier. “The digital record will help us track behavioural patterns. Dogs found to have aggressive tendencies or involved in repeated bite incidents may be shifted to shelter homes for closer observation. In first phase, it will be in 10,000; if successful, it will be increased gradually to all existing stray dogs in the city.” The civic body has initiated the tender process to select an implementing agency. The project is expected to roll out after the agency is finalised next month. According to LMC estimates, Lucknow has nearly 1.5 lakh stray dogs. With complaints related to dog bites and stray animal nuisance increasing in several areas, officials believe the microchipping initiative will help authorities plan more effective sterilisation drives and vaccination campaigns.
