Panel proposes 10 year roadmap for stray dog issue in Keralam

A committee of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University experts has submitted a 10‑year roadmap to manage stray dogs in Kerala. The 20‑chapter document, prepared by KVASU, the Animal Husbandry Department and the Kerala Grama Panchayat Association, was handed to Local Self‑Government Minister K. M. Shaji after a draft was submitted on August 18. The plan, aligned with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules 2023 and Supreme Court directives, outlines four phases: adoption, shelters, ABC centres and waste management in the first two years; zero human rabies deaths by 2030 and reducing dog density to 2‑5 per sq km; ending births through sustained sterilisation and a zero‑abandonment policy; and keeping public places free of roaming dogs. Kerala reports about 4.5 lakh street dogs in 2024, up from 3 lakh in 2019, with 3.69 lakh bite victims in 2025 and 122 rabies deaths from 2021‑2025. A committee member said, “Providing this maintenance subsidy could save the government 50% to 75% of the cost of maintaining dogs in shelters.” Implementation will need coordinated action by Local Self‑Government, Animal Husbandry, Health and Home departments and public participation.

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The Hindu

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Panel proposes 10 year roadmap for stray dog issue in Keralam

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