Odisha govt to sterilise 7 lakh stray dogs

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Saturday said it would soon start sterilisation and vaccination of around seven lakh stray dogs across the State as per the recent direction of the Supreme Court. This was stated by Odisha Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallick here. He said the State government would implement the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in letter and spirit.

The minister said the State has around seven lakh stray dogs and 64,000 domestic dogs. “All the dogs will undergo the process directed by the apex court and will later be released. However, those found to be violent or suffering from rabies will be kept in shelters,” the minister said.

He said the urban local bodies have been asked to ensure compliance with the new guidelines. The NGOs and volunteers working for animal welfare will be roped in to manage feeding in identified sites and to assist in vaccination of dogs, the minister said

Mallick also appealed to all people not to randomly feed stray dogs at any place. There should be specific areas where to feed the dogs to ensure the safety of both animals and humans. He said a fresh census will also be conducted to update the figure of the number of stray dogs.

The minister said it was noticed that dogs are sustaining accidental injuries, and those can be reported to the authorities through the free number 1962. Mallick said fish and meat shops should undertake their activities in specified areas in order to regulate dogs. The meat shops will be asked to sell their products only at designated sites and dispose of remains responsibly.

Odisha recorded over 5.20 lakh dog bite cases between January 2023 and October 2024, according to data provided by the State government in the Assembly in December last year.

Gokulananda Mallik had said that a total of 5,20,237 dog bite cases were reported in Odisha during those 22 months.

While 2,59,107 dog bite cases were reported during 2023, a total of 2,43,565 such cases were recorded from January to October of 2024.

The maximum number of such cases at 33,547, 32,561 and 29,801 were reported during January, February and March of 2024, respectively.