Bengaluru: Student-led organisation Students for Streeties on Saturday urged the Karnataka government to expand scientific dog population management across the state through Animal Birth Control (ABC) and Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ARV) programmes, instead of investing heavily in dog shelters.

The appeal was made at a press conference here attended by representatives of several animal welfare organisations and student groups, including All Paws Community, Charlie's Animal Rescue Centre (CARE) and Citizens for Animal Birth Control.

Addressing the media, speakers said sustained ABC and ARV programmes, along with community caregiving, remain the most effective and humane methods to prevent dog bites and eliminate rabies. They pointed out that Bengaluru has remained free of human rabies for years due to strong mechanisms such as a dedicated rabies helpline, ring vaccination and consistent implementation of the ABC programme.

Actor Pooja Gandhi, in a video message, congratulated Students for Streeties for their campaign and appealed to the Karnataka government to strictly implement the Animal Birth Control programme in line with existing rules.

The panel referred to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's recent post on X, in which he reiterated the need to follow the ABC Rules, 2023, and avoid the impounding of dogs. They urged the state government to translate this commitment into action by scaling up the programme across Karnataka.

The speakers appealed to the government to file an affidavit in court committing to statewide implementation of ABC and to develop a model on the lines of Bengaluru's programme. They also said they would seek meetings with the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary, urging the government not to spend crores of rupees on shelters and instead address the issue through proven ABC and ARV measures at nearly one-tenth of the cost.