Drone technology was employed to count free-roaming dogs around Bengaluru’s lakes and other open spaces. Touted to be the first of its kind in India, the exercise was done by VayDyn, a startup at ARTPARK IISc (Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Technology Park, Indian Institute of Science) in association with the Bengaluru civic body as a pilot project.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) initiated the stray dog survey across its eight zones on July 11 which will help determine the number of stray dogs in the city, their gender, and help continue the civic body’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. The previous survey, conducted in 2019, estimated the stray dog population at 3.1 lakh.
“The drones will help the BBMP to identify the stray population at lakes that will require more time to conduct a ground survey. Though the drones may not be able to identify the gender and neutering status of the dogs, it will contribute to the general dog population survey,” said K.P. Ravikumar, Joint Director, BBMP Animal Husbandry.
