MARGAO
Ahead of the new tourism season, stakeholders and local panchayat representatives have called for a comprehensive and coordinated approach to tackle the growing stray dog menace along the Salcete beach belt, warning that the issue could pose a serious threat to tourists and visitors if left unaddressed.
While the government’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme and sterilisation drives have helped contain the stray population to some extent, stakeholders believe that sterilisation alone is not sufficient to address the problem. They have urged the Tourism and Animal Husbandry departments to go beyond sterilisation and introduce measures such as dedicated shelters, proper feeding arrangements, treatment facilities for injured and infected animals, and a stronger mechanism to manage stray dogs in tourist areas.
Cavelossim Sarpanch and small hotelier Dixon Vaz said local panchayat bodies were finding it increasingly difficult to deal with the problem on their own, particularly along the busy Cavelossim-Mobor beach stretch.
“The Cavelossim Panchayat had initiated a host of measures to deal with the dog menace on the Cavelossim-Mobor beach stretch, including putting up cages and arranging for feeding of the strays. But the situation is not as easy as it appears to be. Even last week, a tourist was badly mauled by stray dogs at Mobor,” Vaz said.
According to him, the increasing number of stray dogs, coupled with the lack of adequate infrastructure and resources, has made it difficult for local bodies to effectively manage the situation.
He said the Animal Birth Control programmes initiated by the government through organisations such as Mission Rabies needed to be supplemented with a broader strategy.
“Animal Birth Control programmes initiated by the government through Mission Rabies are not sufficient to control the dog population. What we want is a comprehensive approach to treat injured and infected dogs, ensure proper feeding and build big shelters to house the strays,” he said.
Vaz stressed that the responsibility of managing the stray dog population in major tourist areas could not be left entirely to the panchayats, especially when the areas attract large numbers of domestic and international tourists during the tourism season.
He called for greater coordination between government departments, particularly Tourism and Animal Husbandry, to formulate and implement a long-term solution.
“Primarily, there are two issues with the problem. One is funding and the second, and more important, is infrastructure, including land, shelters, cages, equipment, vehicles and dog catchers. Funds can be addressed, but the government’s role comes into the picture when it comes to addressing the remaining issues,” he said.
Vaz said the panchayat had made efforts to put a mechanism in place, but the measures had yielded results only in certain pockets and were insufficient to deal with the problem across the entire beach belt.
“Two weeks ago, a tourist was bitten by a stray dog on the beach. Though we have put a mechanism in place, we have been able to control the situation only in certain areas. We have no wherewithal to look after everything,” he said.
With the tourism season expected to bring a substantial increase in footfall along the Salcete coastline, stakeholders have urged the government to act before the situation escalates. They said a coordinated system involving local bodies, tourism authorities, animal husbandry officials and animal welfare organisations was necessary to ensure both tourist safety and humane management of stray animals.
