Team Herald
MARGAO: The Coastal Belt Sterilisation Camp 2025 for South Goa was officially launched on Tuesday at the Fisheries Sub Office in Colva. The initiative, running until April 19, is a collaboration between Mission Rabies, Worldwide Veterinary Services (WVS), and the government.
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At the launch, Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas spoke at length about how this project can achieve its targets and what more can be done, while also detailing follow-up actions taken in the past to address the stray dog issue.
Cavelossim Sarpanch Dixon Vaz welcomed the initiative, stating, “The coastal belt has seen a big rise in the number of stray dogs in recent months. We have witnessed an increasing number of dog bite cases along the belt. This camp was long overdue.”
He thanked the Animal Husbandry and Tourism Departments for their support, particularly noting problems along the Cavelossim-Mobor beach belt where several attacks on visitors, including foreign tourists, have occurred.
The drive comes against the backdrop of alarming statistics showing 840 dog bite cases in February alone at South Goa District Hospital, with beaches like Benaulim, Betalbatim, Colva and Cavelossim being priority areas. Mission Rabies teams will conduct awareness sessions about dog behaviour and proper garbage disposal, while pamphlets will be distributed to hotels and hoardings erected along beaches to educate visitors.
The South Goa initiative is part of a larger pan-Goa effort targeting approximately 2,000 stray dogs. In North Goa, the beaches of Candolim, Calangute, Baga, Arambol, Ozran and Vagator will be covered in the sterilization drive, with dogs transported to the WVS Centre in Assagao for procedures before being
returned.
