Mumbai: Reflective collars, QR codes help track strays

QR codes on the collars cconnect you to a caretaker on Pawfriend.in

In a proactive effort to address the distress faced by community dogs during Diwali celebrations, two organisations - Planet for Plants and Animals (PPA INDIA) and Pawfriend.in - joined forces for a special initiative on Thursday on Carter Road, Bandra. This collaborative drive is supported by Member of Parliament Poonam Mahajan, and its focus is on combining technology and community engagement to create a safety net for the vulnerable animals.

The initiative, aptly named Reflective Collaring & QR Tagging, hopes to mitigate the displacement of street animals propelled by the firecracker activities along the Carter Road promenade, leading to the displacement and distress of community dogs. These collars not only offer visible identification, the QR code contains contact information. One scan takes you to pawfriend.in website, where the information about whom to contact is diligently uploaded by volunteers to ensure quick and efficient retrieval of lost dogs.

Saakshi Teckchandani, 23, Founder of PPA India, and Akshay Ridhlan, also 23, Founder of Pawfriend.in, are at the forefront of this initiative. "Any feeder or citizen dog lover can contact our organization by viewing the label on the reflective collar or scanning the QR tag," said Tekchandani.

Mahajan, who had proposed an amendment to the Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act to make punishments stricter, joined the initiative with her daughter Avika to collar the community dogs. "This a commendable effort that not only protects these animals but also strengthens the bond between humans and our four-legged friends," said Mahajan.

In this first stage of the project, PPA India has procured 5,000 customised reflective collars; and the intention is to take effort nationwide next month in Phase 2, leveraging their feeder network, said Teckchandani.