Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) today began a citywide stray dog census covering all 67 wards, with the aim of gathering reliable data to strengthen animal birth control measures.

The survey is being carried out daily between 5 am and 7 am, when stray dogs are most visible in residential areas. Around 410 teams, comprising expert veterinarians, civic officials, Swachh Sathis, sanitation workers, and supervisors, have been deployed to conduct the exercise in two phases.

The census seeks to determine the total number of street dogs, measure population density across wards, and frame strategies for their management. The data will help improve street dog health, prevent rabies and other disease transmission, and design more effective animal birth control drives.

Encouraging public participation, BMC Mayor Sulochana Das appealed to residents to cooperate with enumerators during the census.