QR codes to be attached to pets in Côn Đảo Island in bid to control rabies

A dog has a QR code tag attached in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province's Côn Đảo District. Photo baobariavungtau.com.vn

BÀ RỊA-VŨNG TÀU — The People's Committee of Côn Đảo District in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province said it will start attaching QR code tags to pets in the island district to control rabies more effectively.

Nearly 900 QR codes will be attached by the district government to dogs in households to manage and limit the number of free-range dogs that cause a loss of urban beauty and risk the safety of residents and tourists. At the same time, rabies in the area will be controlled in a fundamental and scientific manner.

Each QR code tag will contain complete information such as the pet owner's name, pet owner's address and the pet's rabies vaccination status.

Trần Thanh Huyền, Vice Chair of the district People's Committee, said the Côn Đảo will strengthen the handling of the situation of stray dogs.

If a dog does not wear a tag with a QR code, the authorities will catch them by any means and handle according to the law.

In the case of dogs with QR codes that are released on the streets or in public places without complying with regulations, the dog owner will be administratively fined by scanning the QR code to identify information, along with images of the violation.

If the dog owner violates the law a second time, the dog owner will not be able to redeem the dog and will be dealt with according to the law.

Đinh Thị Quỳnh, a resident of Côn Đảo District, said that wearing QR codes on dogs will make it easier to control pets. In addition, this will limit the number of stray dogs and raise awareness among dog owners.

The situation of dogs running free, and chasing and biting passersby is quite common in many localities in Việt Nam.

In Côn Đảo Island, about 100 cases of people being bitten by free-roaming dogs and having to be injected with anti-rabies serum were recorded in 2023 alone.

Therefore, the district People's Committee has counted and reviewed the number of dogs in the area, from which they have applied the use of tags with QR codes to control them scientifically.

Phan Thị Tím, Deputy Head of the district's Economic Department, said that wearing tags with QR codes will enhance the role and responsibility of pet owners, changing the current habit of raising dogs in violation of regulations.

For a locality with strong tourism development like Côn Đảo, strict management of pets by tagging them with QR codes is an effective measure to limit dogs running free.

This is also the first time the district has applied information technology in controlling pets, with the goal of ensuring safety for residents and tourists, and controlling rabies prevention in the district. — VNS