The Stray News – Panaji, Goa: In a significant step towards ensuring public health and animal welfare, the Government of Goa, in collaboration with Mission Rabies and the World Veterinary Service (WVS), has launched a comprehensive rabies elimination and sterilisation drive across Bardez taluka, starting February 21.
The campaign aims to vaccinate all pet and stray dogs, while also sterilising nearly 15,000 strays at the WVS Hicks Training Centre in Assagao.
“This drive will cover every ward and panchayat in Bardez, ensuring no dog — stray or pet — is left unvaccinated or unaccounted for,” said Animal Husbandry Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar.
Proactive Public Health Push
The campaign follows the detection of three rabies-positive cases in Bardez in 2023 and 2024, highlighting ongoing risks despite previous vaccination efforts.
“Goa has achieved 100% rabies vaccination coverage in the past, but our proximity to Maharashtra and Karnataka means unvaccinated dogs cross over into the state,” Halarnkar explained. “Combining vaccination with large-scale sterilisation is essential to curb both the spread of rabies and stray population growth.”
Manpower and Logistics: 1,500 Strong Team Mobilised
The five-day intensive drive, running from February 24 to 28, will see a 1,500-strong workforce in action, including:
- 32 vaccination teams
- 5 education teams
- 1 surveillance team
- 12 international volunteers
- 19 veterinarians
- 40 student volunteers
- 1,000 school students actively participating in awareness drives
Vaccination camps will operate daily from 6:30 am to 11:30 am and 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
Door-to-Door Checks and On-the-Spot Vaccinations
In a unique twist to the campaign, mobile veterinary teams have already begun house-to-house visits across villages over the past two weeks. The teams, equipped with a sterilisation mobile van and four-member teams, are collecting information on sterilisation status and rabies vaccinations for all pet dogs.
Dogs found to be unvaccinated receive anti-rabies injections on the spot, a proactive step welcomed by many residents.
“This is a large-scale initiative aimed at completely eliminating the rabies virus, particularly in the vulnerable border talukas,” said Dr Murugan Appupillai, Director of Education at Mission Rabies.
Villagers React: Cooperation and Concerns
While most villagers have appreciated the effort, some raised concerns about data accuracy and long-term tracking.
“The teams are using handwritten registers to record data. It would be much better if they used mobile apps so there’s no chance of errors or losing records,” said Harpal Naol, co-founder of Goa Artivist and a dog owner in Sangolda.
Animal welfare activists echoed the sentiment.
“This campaign is fantastic, but for it to have long-term impact, Goa needs a digital pet registry that tracks vaccination, sterilisation, and even ownership changes,” said Neessha Wiliam, an animal activist from Heart Foundation NGO.
Sterilisation: The Cornerstone of Population Control
Beyond vaccination, the government’s 15,000-sterilisation target for Bardez underscores its commitment to controlling the stray population humanely.
“We have seen a clear link between overpopulation of stray dogs and rising human-animal conflict,” said Dr. Jayakar Ellis, Founderr, Heart Foundation NGO. “In tourist areas like Calangute and Anjuna, the issue is particularly severe. but this could have been more effective, if the Government could have also initiated creation of Feeding Zones.”
A Model for Goa’s Future
Officials confirmed that if successful, the Bardez model will be replicated across other talukas, combining vaccination, sterilisation, public education, and detailed record-keeping into a single, coordinated programme.
“Our vision is a rabies-free, responsibly managed animal population across Goa,” said Minister Halarnkar. “This is just the beginning.”
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