Udupi, Sept 21: With street dogs increasingly causing inconvenience and safety concerns for the public, Deputy Commissioner Swaroopa T.K. has issued strict directions to local authorities to strengthen population control measures. The announcement was made during the District Prani Daya Sangha committee meeting at Rajatadri on Saturday.
The DC highlighted reports of street dogs attacking commuters, particularly those alighting from trains and buses at night. She emphasized that sterilisation remains the most effective and humane method to control the street dog population. Local bodies, both urban and rural, must allocate funds annually and actively implement the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme.
To ensure the programme’s success, local authorities are required to maintain proper infrastructure, including hygienic operation theatres, adequate kennels, scientific dog-catching facilities, post-operative care for four days, and trained veterinary staff. Alternatively, the work can be entrusted to registered animal welfare organisations approved by the Animal Welfare Board of India.
During the 2024–25 financial year, a total of 1,754 dogs (534 male and 1,220 female) were sterilised under the ABC programme. Up to August 2025, 771 dogs (183 male and 588 female) have already been sterilised. The DC directed that sterilisation efforts be intensified before the end of the current financial year to ensure better population control.
“Animals and birds have the right to live on this earth like us. Any mistreatment or cruelty towards them will attract action under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,” the DC noted. She also referred to a recent Supreme Court directive making it the responsibility of local bodies—including city corporations, municipalities, and panchayats—to manage street dog populations and ensure public safety.
Beyond sterilisation, local bodies are instructed to identify ward-wise feeding spots, segregate rabies-infected and aggressive dogs in special shelters, administer vaccines and preventive care, and set up dedicated helplines for reporting incidents involving street dogs.
As part of the district’s rabies and zoonotic disease prevention drive, free rabies vaccines are being provided to both pet and street dogs at all veterinary hospitals. The DC stressed the importance of vaccinating street dogs alongside pets to achieve the state’s goal of becoming rabies-free by 2030.
Officials present at the meeting included District Legal Services Authority Member Secretary Manu Patel, Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry Dr. M.C. Reddappa, Udupi City Municipal Council Commissioner Mahantesh Hangargi, and other senior representatives.
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