The chief minister was speaking on the occasion of World Rabies Day, organised by an NGO Mission Rabies, through whose efforts Goa has become a rabies-free state where Sawant highlighted the threat Goa’s “rabies-controlled” status faced from dogs brought from outside the state
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said that the government was considering banning certain aggressive breeds of dogs that posed a danger to humans and also they might not be vaccinated.
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant (Twitter/@DrPramodPSawant)
“Certain breeds need to be banned in the state because they are aggressive and attack especially humans,” he added.
The chief minister was speaking on the occasion of World Rabies Day, organised by an NGO Mission Rabies, through whose efforts Goa has become a rabies-free state. Sawant highlighted the threat Goa’s “rabies-controlled” status faced from dogs brought from outside the state.
“Goa is a rabies-controlled state. Some bring dogs from other states out of their passion, but they are not vaccinating them,” Sawant said.
In his speech, Sawant cited an instance that took place in late August when a Rottweiler breed dog jumped over the gate of a house and attacked two children, leaving one seriously injured.
In 2013, Mission Rabies was launched in Goa after the state was identified as an ideal location to set the standard for rabies elimination across India.
On 17th May 2021, Goa’s director of animal husbandry Dr Agostinho Mesquita issued a notification in the official gazette declaring Goa as a ‘rabies-controlled state’.
With the Goa government agreeing to collaborate and fund the Mission Rabies project to make Goa a rabies-free state, the Goa government began funding Mission Rabies, which embarked on a mission to vaccinate 70% of the state’s dog population – both owned and stray – vaccinating more than one lakh dogs each year, for three years in a row.
The state government now plans to collaborate on a mission to sterilise all stray dogs in the state.
“We are also starting a programme for sterilisation to keep control of the population of dogs. If the population grows too much, then we face the most trouble. On average, there are one to two accidents a day with major injuries,” Sawant said.