Ahmedabad: The Amdavad Municipal  Corporation (AMC) has initiated a comprehensive street dog census across all 48 wards of the city to scientifically assess the population, health condition, sterilization status, and density of free-roaming dogs in Ahmedabad.

The large-scale survey aims to strengthen the implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) and Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ARV) programmes while improving public health and animal welfare management in the city. Officials said the exercise will provide detailed ward-wise data to help authorities identify dog population hotspots and improve future sterilization and vaccination planning.

According to the project outline, the survey will document ward-wise numbers of sterilized and non-sterilized male and female dogs, puppies, pregnant and lactating females, and dogs suffering from health issues such as skin infections, injuries, or weak body conditions. The census will also calculate dog-human ratios and dog density in different parts of Ahmedabad.

Officials stated that advanced digital tools, including GPS tracking, geo-tagged photography, and Google Map location sharing, are being used during the survey to ensure accurate identification and tracking of non-sterilized dogs. This system is expected to help ABC implementation agencies quickly locate and sterilize dogs requiring intervention.

The census programme began with planning, software setup, route mapping, and deployment activities from April 4, 2026, while field-level surveys officially started from April 14 across different wards and zones of Ahmedabad.

As part of the ongoing exercise, surveys conducted in Behrampura ward revealed a total of 4,906 street dogs. The data showed that 3,019 male dogs and 1,467 female dogs had already been sterilized. The survey also identified 224 unsterilized male dogs, 105 unsterilized female dogs, 63 puppies, and 23 lactating female dogs.

Authorities said the findings will help in strengthening rabies prevention measures, reducing human-animal conflict, and ensuring effective implementation of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, along with the national NAPRE-2030 objectives.

The survey also takes into account seasonal factors, weather conditions, human activity, local cultural practices, and movement patterns that may influence street dog populations in various wards of the city. Officials believe the scientific approach will support long-term and sustainable management of Ahmedabad’s free-roaming dog population.