USD 726,000 Mars Impact Fund commitment to scale sterilisation, rabies vaccination and municipal training across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad
Hyderabad, February 28, 2026: Lucknow will host India’s first dedicated National Animal Birth Control Training Centre under a USD 726,000 global commitment announced through the Mars Impact Fund, with Humane World for Animals leading implementation across multiple Indian regions.
The programme will combine high-volume sterilisation, rabies vaccination drives, mobile veterinary outreach and structured professional training in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, while parallel pet welfare and vaccination campaigns will be introduced in Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.
The initiative responds to a structural challenge. India is home to one of the world’s largest free roaming dog populations. Although the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 provide a legal framework for humane management, implementation remains uneven due to funding limitations, veterinary workforce gaps and inconsistent municipal capacity. Mars’ State of Pet Homelessness Report 2023 estimates that nearly 69 million dogs and cats in India lack secure homes, reinforcing the scale of the issue.
Public health experts widely recognise that sustained sterilisation coverage of approximately 70 percent is necessary to stabilise and gradually reduce street dog populations. In many Indian cities, reaching that benchmark remains difficult without long-term, systems-based intervention.
Michelle Grogg, Executive Director, Mars Impact Fund, said, “Delivering impact starts with listening to communities and partnering with organisations that understand local needs. Our collaboration with Humane World for Animals focuses on expanding veterinary access and professional training where it is most needed.”
The National Animal Birth Control Training Centre in Lucknow will function as a dedicated capacity-building hub for veterinarians, para-veterinary professionals and animal welfare organisations. In addition, a mobile training and capacity development programme will be deployed to support field-level NGOs across the country.
In Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, the initiative will introduce a city-supported pet welfare programme aimed at improving vaccination access and encouraging formal registration of owned dogs. The campaign will combine large-scale rabies vaccination with structured communication efforts designed to improve compliance and long-term owner responsibility.
Manish Syag, Managing Director, Mars Pet Nutrition India, said, “India is at a defining moment in how it manages human-animal coexistence. Free roaming dog populations cannot be addressed through fragmented or short-term measures. This initiative focuses on sterilisation coverage, vaccination access and professional capacity building aligned with the recognised 70 percent benchmark required for long-term population stability.”
Alokparna Sengupta, Managing Director, Humane World for Animals India, added that the programme integrates science-led intervention with community engagement. “High-volume sterilisation, vaccination and expanded mobile clinics in regions such as Uttarakhand and cities like Lucknow demonstrate how sustained efforts reduce conflict, dog bite incidents and rabies risk.”
The India rollout forms part of a broader philanthropic commitment by the Mars Impact Fund, which plans to deploy USD 85 million globally between 2025 and 2027, with an expected annual distribution of USD 50 million from 2028 onward. The structured deployment in India marks one of the Fund’s significant public health-aligned animal welfare interventions in Asia.
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