BBMP to develop face-recognition app to track stray dogs

BENGALURU: The animal husbandry cell of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is set to come up with Shvana App, a face-recognition mobile app to monitor the number of dogs that have been sterilised in the city.
Animal husbandry cell deputy director Shashikumar S said the app was developed mainly to prevent confusion among various zones over stray dogs that keep moving around in the city."The zonal tenders were called before the elections and soon after the polls get over, we will announce more details of the app," said Shashikumar. Each zonal tender is valid at Rs 50 lakh.
"Many of the dogs are captured and sterilised, but they move out of their earlier areas and enter newer areas which often confuses us. This app will solve the issue," he said, adding 46,151 dogs were sterilised in 2018-19.
The app, which is being developed by the BBMP's information technology cell, will be available only for BBMP zonal officers and animal birth control (ABC) staffers, added the official.
The photograph and details of every dog that is sterilised will be recorded through the app. Once the canine is dropped back to the location where it was picked up from, it will also be GPS-tagged. In case the same dog appears on any other street and is caught, its identity will be confirmed using the app.