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3-month jail if you keep ‘ferocious’ animal as pet: Goa passes bill, CM citing Rottweilers and Pitbull dog breeds
Govt can declare any breed, class of animals ‘ferocious’; those who already have such animals as pets to be mandated to report, sterilise them within 60 days
Citing cases of Rottweiler and Pitbull dogs biting children, the Goa assembly has passed a legislation that gives the government powers to declare any such breed ferocious, and lists three months of prison if someone violates rules that prohibit the breeding and domestication of such animals.
When the Goa Animal Breeding and Domestication (Regulation and Compensation) Bill, 2025, was introduced, Opposition members, including Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai and Congress legislator Carlos Alvares Ferreira, demanded a detailed discussion.
But Chief Minister Pramod Sawant defended the move and said it was brought keeping in mind the safety of people.
Passed by the House on Wednesday, the bill empowers the state government to declare any breed or class of animals as ferocious through a notification in the official gazette. Once notified, the breeding, keeping or importing of such animals in the state will be strictly prohibited, PTI reported.
It mandates that owners of such animals report them to the Directorate of Animal Husbandry within 30 days of such a notification and sterilise the animal within 60 days.
Violations would attract a minimum imprisonment of 15 days, which may extend up to three months, along with a fine of ₹50,000 and compulsory community service, says the bill which will become law once the governor signs it.
In certain cases, courts may allow community service in lieu of jail term, it says.
There is also provision for compensation to people injured or the families of those killed by such animals. Claims can be filed within six months of the incident and must be resolved by the competent authority within three months, the PTI report said.
The Director of Animal Husbandry will keep a register of such ferocious animals.
In 2024, the central government imposed a ban on the import, sale, and breeding of 23 “ferocious” dog breeds, including Pitbull Terrier, Tosa Inu, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American bulldog, Boerboel, Kangal, Russian Shepherd, Tornjak, Sarplaninac, Japanese Tosa and Akita, Mastiffs, Rottweiler, Terriers, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Wolf dogs, Canario, Akbash dog, Moscow Guard dog, and Cane Corso, which are considered to be a “threat to human life”.
