Sankari sets monthly sterilisation target after stray dog complaints

Sankari municipality in India's Tamil Nadu state has set a target of sterilising 40 stray dogs each month. Acting municipal commissioner K. L. Suveetha Shri outlined the plan to The Hindu after residents called for stronger action.

The commissioner said officials had identified 350 stray dogs within municipal limits and vaccinated them three months earlier. A site at the municipal material recovery facility has been selected for an animal birth control centre. Its opening has not been announced.

Residents from several neighbourhoods asked the administration to address the dog population. Advocate S. Thangavel alleged that animals feed on waste left along roads by shops and eateries.

Another resident, Sarathy, urged tighter instructions to meat sellers and food stalls to prevent roadside dumping. He also advocated a local sterilisation centre. Dogs currently undergo the procedures at a facility in Veerapandi.

Sankari lies approximately 35 kilometres from Salem and has 18 wards. It became a municipality in March 2025.