‘All necessary measures should be taken to curb stray dogs while ensuring animal welfare and the safety of citizens’.
The district administrations of Mandya and Kodagu held separate meetings on Tuesday to discuss measures to control the menace of stray dogs in their respective districts in the light of the Supreme Court’s recent directions.
In Mandya, Deputy Commissioner Kumar directed the urban local bodies to take up Animal Birth Control (ABC) and anti-rabies vaccination programmes effectively.
All necessary measures should be taken to curb stray dogs while ensuring animal welfare and the safety of citizens, he said and emphasised the need for collection of information on stray dogs in schools and colleges, hospitals, government offices, railway stations, and playgrounds.
He also directed the officials to identify suitable locations for sterilisation surgeries. Also, appropriate measures should be taken to manage shelters for stray dogs in collaboration with animal welfare organisations and the Department of Animal Husbandry.
The guidelines of the Supreme Court must be strictly followed in the management of stray dogs and the sterilisation operations, he said.
Citing the Supreme Court orders, Mr. Kumar said stray dogs should be removed from high-risk areas like educational institutions, bus stands, railway stations, and hospitals. He issued directions for round the clock security in stadiums to prevent stray dogs from the entering the premises.
Students should be made aware of rabies while free anti-rabies vaccination programme should be taken up for stray and pet dogs, he said.
He directed the officials to set up a helpline to receive complaints regarding stray dog issues, and a nodal officer must be appointed at the district level to take necessary action.
In Kodagu, Deputy Commissioner Venkat Raja said the local bodies like city municipal councils, town municipal councils, town panchayats, and gram panchayats should earmark at least one acre of land within their jurisdiction and construct a compound wall to facilitate the relocation of stray dogs.
He said measures should be taken to relocate the stray dogs and ensure their proper protection while appointing nodal officers to conduct regular inspections to monitor the control of stray dogs.
He said the government and private hospitals should maintain adequate stock of anti-rabies vaccines so that timely treatment is provided to dog-bite victims.
“Whenever cases of dog bites or attacks by animals are reported, the local body officials must be informed and the government and private hospitals should ensure timely emergency medical services and first aid,” he said.
While Madikeri city municipal council Commissioner H.R. Ramesh informed the meeting that one and a half acre of land on the outskirts of Madikeri has been earmarked for locating stray dogs, the Deputy Commissioner instructed officials concerned that land be similiarly earmarked even in Somwarpet, Kushalnagar, Ponnampet, and Gonikoppal limits.
Kodagu District Health and Family Welfare Officer Satish Kumar said that 4,872 cases of dog bites were reported in the district in 2024 and 4,217 cases between January to October in 2025.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Karnataka / by The Hindu Bureau / November 18th, 2025
