Mumbai, July 16: Twenty stray dogs were issued identity cards on Saturday morning near the Mumbai Airport. The "Aadhaar" cards that were tied around their necks feature a QR code that, when scanned, reveals the dog's information, including name, a feeder's contact information, and information on immunisation, sterilisation, and medical needs, in case if the dog is lost.

An enthusiastic group of people animatedly decorated the identity cards. The dogs were courted by a regular feeder they were familiar with, but when they noticed other dogs advancing on them, they were apprehensive. The squad tagged 20 canines after a couple of hours and some laborious puffing. At Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Sahar, BMC pounced on the chance to immunise the canines outside terminal 1. Chennai Corporation Planning to Sterilise Around 80,000 Stray Dogs.

According to a Sion engineer who developed the distinctive identification tags for dogs through a project called "pawfriend.in," the volunteers started at 8.30 am and were chasing the dogs to patch the QR code tags and to vaccinate them. The QR code tag can assist in reuniting a pet with its family if it is misplaced or moved. It can also aid BMC in keeping track of a centralised database of stray animals in the city.

Sonia Shelar, a Bandra resident who feeds 300 stray dogs every day—including those outside the airport—told TOI that her job was to herd the dogs together while a BMC veterinarian provided the shot and a pawfriend volunteer attached the tag. The group included airport authorities, vets from BMC, and dog catchers from Yoda. Gujarat: Vadodara Civic Body to Reduce 'Dog Tax' After Poor Response From Pet Owners.

According to Dr Kalim Pathan, director of BMC's veterinary health services, the dogs also received vaccinations and a basic health check. He said that they sterilised every dog they captured. He also mentioned that the QR code tagging that was done for dogs outside the airport was a prototype operation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 16, 2023 09:23 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).