PANAJI: In commemoration of World Rabies Day, Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant emphasised the importance of responsible pet ownership and the need to control the population of stray dogs in the state. Speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of the #RabiesMuktGoa Static Point Vaccination Campaign, organized by the Govt of Goa, Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services and Mission Rabies, in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Miramar, and Goa Science Centre and Planetarium, the following was said.
“We can proudly say today that Goa is the only rabies-free state in the country. Effective communication with animals is essential, and we need to treat them as our family members. I appeal to all Goans, people are keeping dogs at home as a passion, but they are not getting them vaccinated for rabies. People should also vaccinate and sterilise any dog before bringing it from outside the state, and we will make this compulsory. We are also starting with the sterilisation process across the state, to control the population of stray dogs. This is a must. When the population of stray dogs increases, it is we citizens who suffer. On average, 1-2 accidents occur due to stray dogs. These accidents are major with reports of head injuries, fractures, etc. And due to this increase in dog population, other complications also increase,” said the Chief Minister.
Also present were Rohit Monserrate, Mayor, Corporation of the City Of Panaji, Dr. Agostinho Misquita, Department Of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, Sanjeev Naik, Deputy Mayor, Corporation of the City Of Panaji, Dr. Murugan Appupillai, Director, Mission Rabies-India, Rtn. Sonali Nagvenkar, President, Rotary Club of Miramar, Shweta Sardessai, Honorary Secretary, PAWS- Panaji, Vilas Chaudhari, Project Co-ordinator, Goa Science Centre & Planetarium, other members of the Rotary, Mission Rabies, WVS staff and teachers and students from four schools across Panaji.
Dr Sawant lauded the efforts of Mission Rabies, which has tirelessly worked in the state for the past nine years, “they hardly get 25% support from the government, but this NGO is raising funds from various sources and is undertaking this work in Goa. I assure the Mission Rabies team that the government will henceforth render whatever support needed,” he said.
Addressing the audience, Dr Murugan Appupillai, Director of Mission Rabies-India, “20,000 deaths in India are witnessed due to rabies, it is a challenging disease as it is transmitted from animal to humans. Goa came forward to take up this project of Mission Rabies, which was started in 2013 by then-Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. For the past 6 years, there have been no human rabies cases in Goa. Now, south Asian countries like Nepal and Philippines as well as states like Kerala as well as cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai are coming forward to obtain training from us on the successful Goa model,” he said.
The event culminated with the Chief Minister flagging off the Dog Awareness Float and Students Rally. Furthermore, the program marked the launch of the community dog registration project as part of the ‘Purple Up Pets of Panaji’ initiative.