With stray dogs posing a big nuisance to tourists and visitors along the beach belt, the Shack Owners Association of Goa has called for urgent implementation of the Supreme Court directions for permanent removal of stray dogs from high-footfall, tourist, recreational, religious and institutional areas in Goa.
The Association has urged the government to issue an immediate public notice/Instruction across the state especially in all tourist areas, beaches, public places and panchayat / municipalities wards reiterating the SC prohibition of feeding stray dogs on streets or any high footfall areas, beaches, religious places, children's parks, airports, seaports, tourist sites, recreational areas or religious sites, to create public awareness and ensure compliance.
In a representation to Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte, Association president Cruz Cardozo drew attention of the Minister to the Supreme Court order, prohibiting stray dog feeding in any area except designated spots in municipal wards only and not on any streets "under no condition".
He recalled that the Court has stated that "Municipal authorities shall forthwith commence an exercise for creating dedicated feeding spaces for the stray dogs in each municipal ward. The feeding areas shall be created/identified keeping in view the population and concentration of stray dogs in the particular municipal ward. Gantries/notice boards shall be placed near such designated feeding areas, mentioning that stray dogs shall only be fed in such areas”.
Referring to the November 7, 2025, Cardozo said the Supreme Court has directed the removal of all stray dogs from institutional areas like schools, hospitals, highways, rail/bus stations and sports stadla.
The Court has directed, “It shall be the responsibility of the jurisdictional municipal body/authority to forthwith remove every stray dog found within the premises of an educational Institution, hospital (public or private), sports complex, bus stand/depot (including Inter-State Bus Terminal) or railway station and to shift such animal/s to a designated shelter, after due sterilisation and vaccination, in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. The stray dogs so picked up shall not be released back to the same location from which they were picked up."
