Panel proposes 10-year roadmap for stray dog issue in Keralam

As per 2024 figures, the State has around 4.5 lakh street dogs, up from three lakh in 2019. | Photo Credit: file photo

Amid growing concerns over stray dog management in Keralam, the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) has proposed a shift from the conventional sterilisation-and-release approach to a model centred on adoption by individuals and institutions, alongside scientific waste management to reduce the street dog population.

These are among the key suggestions in a 20-chapter policy document prepared by a committee comprising experts from KVASU and the Animal Husbandry Department (AHD), along with members of the Kerala Grama Panchayat Association, and submitted to Minister for Local Self-Government K.M. Shaji. Titled ‘A Comprehensive Roadmap for Humane Stray Dog Population Management and Eliminating Dog-mediated Human Rabies Fatalities through One Health’, the report details a 10-year plan to stabilise the stray dog population and eliminate human rabies deaths.

The proposed plan has four phases. The initial two years will focus on adoption, shelters, Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres, waste management and responsible pet ownership. The roadmap adheres to existing legal frameworks, including the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, and Supreme Court directives. The second phase aims to achieve zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030, in line with the WHO goal, while reducing the density of free-roaming dogs to two to five animals per sq. km. The third phase envisages ending births among the remaining street dog population through sustained sterilisation and a zero-abandonment policy. The final phase aims to ensure that public places are free of roaming dogs through adoption and rehabilitation.

Coordinated action

The committee say that achieving these goals will require coordinated action by the Local Self-Government (LSG), Animal Husbandry, Health and the Home departments, along with active public participation.

It was chaired by Dr. Shibu Simon, professor and head of the University Veterinary Hospital, Kokkalai, with Dr. Sanjay D., deputy director of AHD, as convenor. The final report followed a draft submitted on August 18.

Noting the limitations of the Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return (CNVR) approach, which releases sterilised and vaccinated dogs back on to the streets, the report suggests promoting the adoption of both puppies and adult dogs. It recommends a monthly maintenance subsidy of ₹500 to ₹1,000 for those adopting adult dogs, along with lifelong free anti-rabies vaccination, licensing and microchipping. The report also calls for promoting ‘institutional adoption’ of strays, with factories, plantations, large government and private campuses, farms and construction sites encouraged to adopt adult ones as guard dogs.

“Providing this maintenance subsidy could save the government 50% to 75% of the cost of maintaining dogs in shelters, where the monthly upkeep cost alone ranges from ₹1,800 to ₹2,100 per dog,” said a member of the committee.

Citing Health department figures, the document says 3.69 lakh people suffered dog bites in 2025, and 122 died of rabies between 2021 and 2025. As per 2024 figures, the State has around 4.5 lakh street dogs, up from three lakh in 2019.

The report identifies street waste as the primary factor sustaining stray dogs. “Scientific waste processing, including centralised plants for slaughterhouse waste and better management of hotel waste, is the need of the hour,” said the official

The report recommends restricting street dog feeding to designated spots away from residential areas, strictly between 5-6 a.m. and 10-11 p.m. It further suggests setting up 76 to 152 decentralised ABC centres across the State, alongside model High-Volume High-Quality Spay/Neuter centres and training shelters at KVASU campuses with funding from the LSGD.

To ensure accurate baseline data, annual photographic mark-resight surveys using the Chapman estimator are recommended at the ward level, integrated with K-SMART for digital density mapping.

The report also proposes the establishment of a State Veterinary Public Health Wing under the AHD and a Centre of Excellence in One Health.

Published - November 03, 2026 07:00 am IST