Surge in Dog Bite Cases in Goa: Stray Dog Population Control Under Scrutiny

Panaji: The number of dog bite cases has seen an alarming increase over the past few years, with Jan alone witnessing 1,789 reported cases, which translates to nearly 57 bites per day. This information was given by Union minister of state, ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, Prof S P Singh Baghel, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
“Govt has not conducted a formal assessment of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme’s effectiveness in controlling the stray dog population. However, it remains the primary mechanism for managing the issue,” he stated in his reply.
Goa is currently home to an estimated 56,000 stray dogs. While Goa is the first rabies-controlled state in the country, with zero human rabies deaths for over five years, the situation appears to be only worsening in terms of population control of stray dogs and the number of dog bites.
Cases of stray dog bites have increased along the coastal belt of Salcete in the
past three months, with many tourists and locals falling victim to attacks. In Cavelossim alone, eight tourists have been attacked by strays. Among the victims are four Russians, two Indians, a Latvian national and a British tourist. Most of them were attacked while walking or jogging along the shore.
The most recent attack occurred on Feb 22, wherein a tourist out for a morning run was suddenly attacked and bitten by stray dogs. In Jan, a pack of stray dogs mauled a foreigner on Mobor beach, leaving the woman with 15 bites on her body and a fractured arm.
In 2022, Goa recorded 8,057 dog bite cases. This number jumped to 11,904 in 2023 and reached an alarming 17,236 by the end of 2024, showing an increase of over 100% in just two years.
This sharp increase in the number of cases year on year, with a growing number of dog-related incidents, is becoming a major concern for locals, tourists, and the health and tourism authorities. Foreign tourists visiting Goa’s popular beaches are increasingly plagued with stray dog attacks, with reports of dog bites coming from Cavelossim, Colva, Anjuna, and Vagator in recent months.
CM Pramod Sawant, while presenting the state budget last week, said that “the stray dog menace will be tackled” with large-scale sterilisation and vaccination programmes “with priority in coastal belts and beaches.” His statement comes following a series of attacks on locals and tourists, especially foreigners, on Goa’s beaches.
Sawant also proposed to launch Mobile Veterinary Clinics in Goa to cater to the medical attention required by animals across the state, especially stray animals involved in road accidents.