Beijing has begun to implant digital identification chips in dogs to strengthen management of its canine population, which is estimated at more than 1 million.

 

The rice grain-sized chip, containing information about the dog's breed, birth date, inoculation record and owner information, is injected into the neck of the animal.

 

All the information appears when a chip reader is held close to the neck of the dog.

 

The chips were being piloted in Xicheng District, where more than 10,000 dogs are registered, before being introduced to the rest of the city, said a police officer in charge of dog registration.

 

He said dogs were inoculated and given a digital chip with a life span of 30 years when they were registered. The chip would be checked annually.

 

The ID chips would help identify lost and homeless dogs, and make it easier for owners to take their dogs abroad.

 

The ID chips would also help curb the spread of rabies, which has been one of the most deadly infectious diseases in China.

 

Beijing has registered about 600,000 dogs, but statistics from the Beijing Association of Small Animal Protection showed that there exists an equal number of unregistered dogs in the city.

 

Rabies killed more than 2,000 people across the country in 2006, according to media reports.

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 3, 2007)