Goa’s stray dog menace back in focus after toddler mauled to death in Ponda

Police said the child was found lying unconscious near her maternal uncle’s house. The autopsy said the cause of death was “haemorrhagic shock consequent to multiple ante-mortem injuries as a result of mauling by a pack of dogs”.

Anand Naik, chairperson of the Ponda Municipal Council, said the civic body has been making efforts to control the stray dog menace. “It is a terrible incident… For such a young girl to be mauled to death by dogs is shocking. As a municipality, we have tied up with the People for Animals for sterilisation efforts. We have also proposed a shelter home for stray dogs,” he said.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Yuri Alemao, said, “The street dog menace in our state has reached alarming proportions, with numerous attacks reported in the past and continuing to this day. Despite the growing threat, the government seems inactive. From beaches to the Assembly complex and across the state, fear of street dog attacks looms everywhere. It is high time for effective measures to address this issue and ensure public safety.”

According to a recent estimate of the Animal Husbandry department, Goa has over 56,000 stray dogs. As per data shared by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in Lok Sabha earlier this month, the number of dog bite cases in Goa increased from 8,057 in 2022 to 11,904 in 2023. In 2024, the number of dog bite cases further rose to 17,236. In January this year, the state reported 1,789 dog bite cases.

In August last year, a seven-year-old boy had died after he was attacked by a pitbull in North Goa’s Anjuna. The boy had accompanied his mother, who worked as a domestic help, to her employer’s house where his pet dog bit the boy in the neck and body. The incident had sparked outrage and caused a clamour for stricter regulations, including a ban on some “ferocious” dog breeds.

In February, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced that the Cabinet had approved a ban on rottweiler and pitbull breeds in the state. He had said the state government would bring an amendment to the Goa Animal Breeding and Domestic Regulations and Compensation Ordinance 2024 to include a ban on the sale, import and breeding of the two dog breeds across the state.