The Bhutan government has planned to adopt a new approach to control dog population in the Himalayan nation.
As a part of the plan, a microchip would be embedded under the skin of pet dogs and quick response (QR) code around a dog’s neck would help locate dogs, Asia One reported.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Chief veterinarian officer Dr Karma Rinzin said the new approach would promote community engagement and responsible dog ownership.
During an open discussion with the Prime Minister recently, Rinzin said that the growing dog population has created serious problems in the country.
The project is part of Bhutan’s National Dog Population Management Strategy launched in July last year.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
The focus of the strategy is to reduce birth of free-roaming dogs and encourage adoption of stray dogs through community-based initiatives.
Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said for the strategy to succeed it was necessary to incentivise some of the services to adopters.
Apart from this, two mobile applications – mass dog vaccination and dog population management – will help officials working in the field to monitor the team and have access to information like the number of neutered dogs.
The prime minister said that there was a need to involve civil society organisations and NGOs for successful implementation of the programme.