Stray dog management needs shared responsibility, say experts

Bengaluru,

With Karnataka reporting a sharp rise in dog bite cases, from 3.6 lakh in 2024 to more than 4.1 lakh in 2025, animal welfare experts and community dog feeders have called for a coordinated approach to stray dog management, saying sterilisation, vaccination and responsible community participation remain the only sustainable long-term solutions.

Speaking to News Trail, Aniruddha Ravindra, Managing Director of the Bengaluru-based Praana Animal Foundation, an animal welfare NGO involved in rescuing stray animals, providing shelter, treating injured animals and conducting sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination drives, said the growing number of aggressive stray dogs cannot be tackled by civic authorities or animal welfare or ganisations alone.

"If there are aggressive dogs in a locality, they must first be identified and assessed. But this responsibility cannot rest only with animal welfare groups or the civic body. Citizens also have a role to play. Only then can we achieve better stray dog management over the next five years," he said. Ravindra said Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes and mass antirabies vaccination drives remain the most effective long-term measures, although the results take time to become visible.

The issue of responsibility among people who regularly feed community dogs has also come under scrutiny. Dog feeders interviewed by News Trail said feeding a stray dog does not automatically make a person responsible for its behaviour. "Just because I feed a dog doesn't mean it becomes aggressive. Dogs react based on their experiences and how people treat them," one feeder said, adding that many community dogs grow up in hostile environments where they are chased away or abused, making them fearful and defensive.

The feeders also questioned suggestions that they should adopt every stray dog they feed. "Many people feed dogs as an act of kindness. That does not mean adopting every dog is practical," another feeder said. However, both acknowledged that regular feeders should take responsibility for the welfare of community dogs by ensuring they are vaccinated, sterilised and healthy.

"If we choose to feed them regularly, we should also make sure they receive vaccinations and proper care," one of them said. Both feeders strongly opposed relocating stray dogs, arguing that removing them from familiar surroundings would be both cruel and ineffective. One feeder recalled how a community dog regularly accompanied the family during late-night walks, making them feel safer.

"Saying we are going to euthanize dogs is not the solution. Sterilisation and population control are far more effective," the feeder added. Ravindra also opposed large-scale relocation, calling it impractical and inhumane. He estimated that Bengaluru has between three and four lakh stray dogs, making relocation impossible because of inadequate land, man power and transport facilities. "Keeping thousands of dogs together would create disease hotspots and many animals would not survive under such conditions. It would be cruel to both animals and humans," he said.