On Saturday morning, 15 July, identification cards with QR codes dubbed as ‘Aadhar cards’ were securely attached to the necks of 20 stray dogs outside Mumbai airport, reported TOI. The aim of the initiative is to enhance dog safety and establish a centralised system that can manage and track stray dogs in the city.
The 20 canines now wear ‘Aadhar cards’ with QR codes that provide essential information which can be helpful in the event of the dogs getting lost or needing to be relocated. Scanning these QR codes will furnish information like the dog’s name, feeder’s contact details, vaccination records, and sterilization status.
Initially, a group of regular feeders known to the dogs lured them but the canines became cautious when others approached them to affix the identification tags. After painstaking efforts, the team tagged 20 dogs with this uniquely designed QR code-based identification system.
Meanwhile, BMC also used this opportunity to vaccinate the dogs outside terminal 1 of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Sahar.
An engineer from Sion, Akshay Ridlan spearheaded this unique identification system for canines through his initiative ‘pawfriend.in’. Feeling enthusiastic about this endeavour, he stated that these tags will play a vital role in reuniting lost pets with their owners and will create a centralised database of stray animals in the city.
He said, “We began around 8.30 am, chasing the dogs to affix the QR code tags and provide them with vaccinations. These tags will prove invaluable in reuniting lost pets with their families and establishing a centralized database of strays within the city.”
Regular feeders, members from the pawfriend team, dog-catchers, vets from BMC, and airport officials were also part of this unique initiative.
The head of BMC’s veterinary health services, Dr. Kalim Pathan informed that the dogs were vaccinated and a basic health check was also done during the tagging process.
Emphasising the need for population control, Dr. Pathan added that all the stray dogs caught during the process were sterilised. Speaking about the initiative, he said, “The QR code tagging done for dogs outside the airport is a pilot project and we will see how this can be taken forward.”
One of the regular feeders, Sonia Shelar helped to get the dogs close as vegetarians from BMC administered the vaccine. She has been feeding nearly 300 stray dogs daily including these dogs outside the airport.
