Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 09 December 2025
In one of the largest single-school outreach initiatives undertaken this year, the Department of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services (AH&VS) on 08th December 2025, conducted a full-day awareness programme on stray dog issues, bite prevention, and community responsibility at Government Senior Secondary School, Swaraj Dweep.
The extensive session covered 889 students from nursery to Class XII, along with the Principal and the entire teaching staff. Veterinary officers delivered age-appropriate guidance on safe behaviour around dogs, do’s and don’ts to avoid bites, essential first-aid measures, and the importance of promptly reporting every bite incident. They also explained the scientific role of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme in humanely managing the stray dog population.
Senior students were sensitised about their future role as responsible citizens—supporting sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination drives, discouraging cruelty, and promoting community-based solutions instead of fear or violence towards animals.
The event concluded with an interactive segment where students across all age groups actively engaged. Younger children raised simple yet thoughtful questions, while senior students sought information on volunteering and careers in animal welfare. Veterinary officers addressed every query in detail.
The Principal and teachers described the programme as timely and highly impactful. AH&VS noted that the outreach at Swaraj Dweep marks another milestone in its Islands-wide campaign to make the Andaman & Nicobar Islands safer from dog-bite incidents and, ultimately, rabies-free through continuous awareness, mass ABC operations, and community participation.
