Lack of incinerator hinders rabies control, disposal of dog carcasses

Shahin Bepari Lambe

Panaji

The lack of an animal incinerator is posing a serious problem in the safe and hygienic disposal of dog carcasses, particularly those requiring post mortem testing for rabies, said Dr M Appupillai, Director (Education) of Mission Rabies, Worldwide Veterinary Service India.

He said the small animal incinerator is a long-time dream and a pressing public concern for Goa, and called for urgent government action.

“If the government takes this proposal seriously, it would help in disposing of dead animals properly,” Dr Appupillai said, adding that Mission Rabies is ready to provide the necessary funds for the incinerator if required.

A proposal to set up an animal incinerator has already been submitted to the government, but no progress has been made so far, he said. A possible site for the incinerator has been identified in partnership with the Panjim Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), but the project has stalled.

Currently, the only available method for disposing of dog carcasses is open burning in Assagao, a process that raises environmental concerns and requires clearance from the Pollution Control Board. Accurate rabies testing requires brain samples, which means some dogs must be euthanised, further adding to need for a safe and reliable disposal system.

Dr Appupillai said
that they are prepared to carry out post mortem
procedures on up to 100 dogs if an incinerator is made available.

Efforts to set up an incinerator in Panaji have been ongoing for over eight years, with both government agencies and organizations expressing interest but failing to take final action. At the last meeting of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), the Animal Husbandry Department strongly recommended that both North Goa and South Goa should each have an incinerator.

Earlier, PAWS, in association with Mission Rabies and the Worldwide Veterinary Service, had planned to establish an incinerator at the PAWS campus with support from the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP). However, the plan was dropped due to environmental concerns. Subsequent efforts with the Goa Waste Management Corporation also failed to materialise.

Experts believe the Municipal Administration Department now has the responsibility to make the project a reality by utilising land available with any municipality. It has been suggested that municipalities could charge a small fee for the disposal service to help maintain the incinerator.

The cost of setting up an incinerator with a 100 kg capacity is estimated at around Rs 25 lakh, with the ability to handle five or more dogs per batch depending on size. The first batch would take about 1.5 hours to burn, while subsequent batches could take about an hour each.

When contacted, Animal Husbandry Department Director Nitin Naik said that a proposal had been put forward but added that no concrete decisions have been made yet.

“The project is still in the pipeline, and we are hoping to finalise things soon,” he said.