The recent tragedy in Talem, Durgabhat, Bethoda, near Ponda town, where a 1.5-year-old girl was fatally mauled by a pack of stray dogs, has brought the pressing issue of stray dog attacks to the forefront. This horrifying event is not merely a statistical anomaly; it is a wakeup call that the existing regulatory and administrative responses to the stray dog menace are grossly inadequate. While sterilisation programmes have long been promoted as a humane solution, the sheer recurrence of fatal attacks reveals the structural failure of such singularly focused interventions.
India’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, continue to place sterilisation and vaccination at the core of municipal responses to stray dog populations. Yet the efficacy of this model remains deeply contested. For instance, while cities like Lucknow claimed to have sterilised over 84 percent of their stray population by the end of 2024, the ground reality in most towns, including Goa, is far less reassuring. Logistical delays, lack of consistent veterinary staffing, poor recordkeeping, and underfunded civic bodies have contributed to an outcome that is neither comprehensive nor humane. Moreover, the commonly cited benchmark of 70 percent sterilisation coverage lacks clear empirical support and, in practice, fails to reduce territorial aggression and pack behaviour among unsterilised or semi sterilised populations.
In most developed countries, stray dog populations are virtually nonexistent due to stringent enforcement of pet ownership laws, mandatory licensing, and zero-tolerance policies on abandonment. Municipal authorities operate well-funded animal control units that swiftly relocate aggressive or unowned dogs to shelters, where they are assessed for rehabilitation or ethical euthanasia. Public feeding of strays is generally prohibited, and community awareness ensures responsible pet care. Moreover, urban planning in these jurisdictions includes secure waste management systems, which prevent animals from scavenging and forming territorial packs near residential neighbourhoods or public infrastructure.
This calls for a structural pivot away from sterilisation as the sole axis of dog population control and towards a broader governance model rooted in public safety, urban hygiene, and responsible civic planning. In this context, a five pronged approach may be proposed.
First, a licensing regime for pet ownership must be properly implemented and enforced. Mandatory registration, vaccinations, and penalties for abandonment are necessary to ensure that private negligence does not fuel public risk. Local authorities must be empowered to levy fines and initiate prosecutions under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, against those who abandon dogs or feed strays irresponsibly.
Second, designated feeding zones for stray dogs should be established outside dense residential zones. Feeding within housing colonies or near schools and parks often leads to territorial clustering by packs of dogs. The creation of controlled feeding enclosures, monitored by trained personnel or NGOs, could help mitigate the aggression of strays while also allowing municipal authorities to track, vaccinate, or relocate them systematically.
Third, Goa urgently needs a network of functional urban animal shelters, not just ABC units, but care centres that provide temporary or long term custody of aggressive or unfit for release animals. Such facilities could be modelled on the successful programmes seen in states like Himachal Pradesh or Bhutan’s nationally coordinated sterilisation and shelter strategy, which achieved full coverage over a sustained 14 year period.
Fourth, local self governments must invest in large scale public awareness campaigns. Educational content that promotes responsible pet ownership, warns against unsupervised child dog interactions, and teaches communities how to report aggressive dogs or injured animals can foster a more informed and vigilant public.
Fifth, there is a strong correlation between unmanaged waste and stray dog concentration. Open garbage bins, abattoir discards, and market leftovers attract packs of dogs. Improved waste disposal infrastructure, especially in fast growing urban and peri urban areas like Ponda, is essential. Timely clearance of waste, enclosed bins, and penal action against unregulated meat disposal are steps that lie squarely within the domain of executive governance.
The Ponda mauling is not an aberration. In 2023 alone, India reported over 1.8 crore dog bite cases. Each one is a potential health crisis, carrying the risk of rabies, trauma, or death. The constitutional responsibility of the State to safeguard life under Article 21 cannot be diluted in favour of a misplaced sentiment that valorises urban stray proliferation over human safety.
Internationally, organisations like the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the International Companion Animal Management (ICAM) Coalition advocate for comprehensive dog population management strategies. These include mass vaccination campaigns, community engagement, and responsible pet ownership to effectively control stray dog populations and prevent rabies outbreaks. PETA India also emphasises the importance of sterilisation and vaccination, advocating for humane and effective methods to manage stray animals.
Goa, with its unique blend of urban density and rural proximity, must chart a path forward. This requires not merely animal control, but a coherent urban policy, coordination between the Directorate of Municipal Administration and Panchayati Raj Institutions, and transparent funding mechanisms. Sterilisation, while humane and necessary, must be seen as one cog in a much larger wheel of reform. Only a rights-respecting and duty-bound State can truly secure humane conditions for all living beings.
