No rabies deaths since 2017: Goa cited as model for stray dog mgmt

Panaji : The state capital has emerged as a leading example of humane, scientific and well-governed community dog management in India, reporting no human deaths from rabies since September 2017 and a significant reduction in canine rabies.

“Lessons learned in Goa are now being applied to rabies control initiatives in other states,” said Goa Animal Federation.

Goa’s policy framework, in place for several years, focuses on humane treatment of community dogs through designated feeding spots, stakeholder participation and sustained support to NGOs engaged in mass sterilisation and vaccination.

This approach has been strengthened through a formal partnership between the Goa government and Mission Rabies since 2013. What began as a pilot project vaccinating 5,000 dogs expanded into a state-wide programme in 2015 and now vaccinates up to 100,000 dogs annually.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, in September 2025, announced the allotment of a four-acre land parcel to Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) Goa on a long-term lease.

“Not only will this new WVS centre be instrumental in controlling community dog population in Goa but will also be used to train hundreds of veterinary surgeons and vet assistants to conduct sterilisation surgeries all over India,” said Stacy Sequeira, director of WVS Goa.

The policy has been most effectively implemented in Panaji, where the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), combined with a strong feeder network, has resulted in over 80 per cent sterilisation and zero reported dog-bite cases. “Panjim has become a model city,” said CCP Mayor Rohit Monserrate.

Sweta Sardessai, director of the CCP-run shelter, referred to a clarification issued by the Department of Information and Publicity.

“The analysis showed that 99.99 per cent of community dogs in Goa are people-friendly and that stray dog bite figures were exaggerated by nearly a thousand per cent,” she said, adding that actual data recorded 372 stray dog bite or scratch cases over three years, and not the much higher figures reported elsewhere.