Rabies: an opportunity for stray dog management in india

India hosts the world's largest stray dog population, making dog-mediated rabies a persistent public health and animal welfare challenge. Stray dogs not only face malnutrition, disease, and cruelty but also act as major vectors for rabies transmission, with India accounting for a significant proportion of global rabies deaths. While dog culling has proven ineffective, structured Dog Population Management (DPM) strategies such as Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release (CNVR) programs, combined with Responsible Dog Ownership (RDO), offer sustainable solutions. Effective DPM requires systematic baseline surveys, adequate sterilisation and vaccination coverage, and regulation of food sources, while RDO emphasizes pet adoption, timely vaccination, accessible healthcare, and ethical care practices. Together, these measures can reduce free-roaming dog populations, prevent rabies spillover from wildlife, and mitigate human-animal conflicts. Such an approach can not only break rabies transmission cycles but also improve animal welfare, reduce human injuries and fatalities, and establish a framework for addressing issues posed by other stray animals in India.