In Goa, stray dogs don’t just live alongside us ” they survive because we insist on neglect, ignorance, and fear. The state is now scrambling to respond: a task force has been formed; the government is eyeing shelters; land is being earmarked. But at the same time, animal lovers in Goa are warning us that our “solutions” reek of moral cowardice.
The Goa Animal Federation’s recent analysis revealed something shocking: over three years, only 372 bite or scratch incidents were truly attributable to stray dogs ” not the tens of thousands that have been widely reported. The dramatic numbers being thrown around are inflated, distorted by how hospitals count “bites” (each dose of anti-rabies injection is counted separately). Yet rather than acknowledging their own exaggeration, some human beings are demanding mass removal, as if dogs are evil by default.
The Supreme Court’s recent rulings also reverberate in Goa: dogs may be relocated only after sterilisation and vaccination, not simply warehoused or killed. That gives us a framework ” but the test lies in implementation. The government has expressed a willingness to find land for shelters and even replicate its guÌ„sÌhaÌ„la (cattle-shelter) model. Meanwhile, in Cavelossim, the local panchayat has asked people to register before feeding dogs, after a rise in attacks on tourists.
This may sound like common-sense regulation, but let us not forget: dogs are not the villains. The real moral crisis lies in us ” in how many humans would rather cage, criminalise, or ignore living beings than care for them. If we are threatened by aggression, we should examine why: is it hunger? Is it fear? Is it displacement?
In Goa, the solution is not to eliminate community dogs, but to respect them, feed them responsibly, sterilise them scientifically, and give them dignified spaces. Yes, even shelters ” but built on compassion, not cage-like punishment.
And for the people who think dangerous behaviour is reason enough to erase a life: let us apply that same standard to humans. Many “decent-looking” humans betray us with violence, corruption, and cruelty ” yet we rarely call for their cages. That hypocrisy reveals the ugliness in our own hearts.
If Goa wants to be proud ” not just of its beaches, but of its humanity ” we must confront our own savage instincts. The most dangerous species here is not the stray dog. It’s the human who refuses to change.
