ChennaiThe Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will launch a citywide vaccination campaign in the second week of August, targeting around two lakh stray dogs as part of intensified efforts to prevent rabies and improve animal welfare. The civic body had vaccinated around 1.47 lakh stray dogs last year, when Chennai’s stray dog population was estimated at approximately 1.80 lakh. With the population believed to have increased since then, the GCC has raised this year’s vaccination target to two lakh dogs. Nearly 24,000 birth control surgeries have been performed on stray dogs since January this year. The vaccination campaign, however, comes amid concerns raised by animal welfare activists over the handling of stray dogs during capture and vaccination operations.