Target: Dr. Rupa Naik, Director of Health Services, Government of Goa, Panaji, India
Goal: Audit and correct reportedly inflated dog-bite figures, publish transparent methodology, and prioritize humane, evidence-based dog management over fear-driven crackdowns.
A statewide animal federation reportedly asserts that published “stray dog bite” numbers are grossly exaggerated. Their analysis claims that many entries reflect vaccine doses or non-canine incidents rather than unique dog attacks, which could allegedly inflate totals by large margins. Such figures, repeated without clinical context, can fuel panic that invites harmful responses against community dogs who are not responsible for violence.
According to the federation, only hundreds of genuine stray dog bite or scratch cases occurred across several years, not tens of thousands. Registers allegedly count multiple rabies shots per person, and records may not distinguish species or ownership. When raw injection counts stand in for confirmed incidents, policy can veer toward mass roundups or unlawful cruelty, while shelters face pressure and caregivers face harassment.
Public safety needs clean data, not noise. Transparent, behavior-focused policy should lean on Animal Birth Control (ABC) implementation, vaccination, and community education. This petition calls for an immediate data audit with corrections, a published case-definition standard that separates species and unique events, and safeguards that direct enforcement toward neglect or abuse instead of blanket actions against community dogs. Humane, evidence-based measures protect people and animals alike.
PETITION LETTER:
Director Naik,
We are concerned that dog-bite statistics cited in Goa may be significantly overstated due to record-keeping practices that reportedly count vaccine doses and undifferentiated entries as “cases.” If injection totals or non-canine incidents are included as dog bites, the resulting figures can mislead the public and decision-makers, with severe consequences for animals and communities.
We respectfully urge your office to conduct an immediate audit of bite and scratch data and to publish a clear methodology that distinguishes: unique patients versus dose counts, dog versus non-dog incidents, and owned versus free-roaming animals. Please issue corrected summaries and adopt standardized case definitions for future reporting. Parallel steps should include clinician guidance on coding, routine data quality checks, and open dashboards that present verified trends.
We also ask that your department’s communications explicitly discourage retaliatory actions against community dogs. Public safety is best served through verified data, ABC program implementation, mass anti-rabies vaccination, and community education on coexistence and responsible care. Accurate numbers will support smart prevention, avoid fear-based overreach, and uphold humane standards.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: YAALI
