Divya Prata, Pune
On Saturday morning, around 20 stray canines outside the Mumbai airport received identification tags. The ‘Aadhaar’ cards that were tied around their necks include a QR code that, when scanned, retrieves the dog’s information – name, a feeder’s contact information, vaccination, sterilisation, and medical information if the dog is misplaced.
Sonia Shelar, a Bandra resident who feeds approximately 300 stray dogs, including those outside the airport, said her role was to lure the dogs near while a BMC vet gave the vaccination and a paw friend member attached the tag. The operation included Yoda dog-catchers, BMC veterinarians, and airport authorities.
We started about 8.30 a.m. and were chasing the dogs to fix the QR code tags and vaccinate them, said Akshay Ridlan, an engineer from Sion who created the unique identifying bands for canines through an initiative called ‘pawfriend.in’. “If a pet is lost or relocated, a QR code tag can assist in reuniting it with its family.” It can also assist BMC in maintaining a consolidated database of stray animals.
The canines also received vaccinations and a basic health check, according to Dr. Kalim Pathan, director of BMC’s veterinary health services. He said that all of the dogs they captured had been sterilised. The QR code tagging for dogs outside the airport is an experimental effort, and we’ll see how far it can go, he added.