Sri Vijaya Puram, Dec. 8: In one of the largest single-school outreach programmes undertaken this year, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services today conducted an intensive awareness session on stray dog issues, bite prevention, and community responsibility at Government Senior Secondary School, Swaraj Dweep.
The day-long programme covered nearly 889 students from nursery to Class XII, along with the Principal and the entire teaching faculty. The veterinary team explained age-appropriate safety rules around dogs, do’s and don’ts to avoid bites, immediate first-aid steps, the vital importance of reporting every bite incident without delay, and the scientific role of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme in humanely controlling the stray dog population.
Special emphasis was laid on sensitising senior students about their future role as responsible citizens in supporting sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination drives, discouraging cruelty, and promoting community-level solutions instead of fear or violence against animals.
The session concluded with an extended interactive segment where students of all age groups actively participated. Even the youngest children asked innocent yet thoughtful questions, while senior students sought details on volunteering opportunities and careers in animal welfare. Every query was patiently addressed by the veterinary officers.
The Principal and teachers hailed the programme as highly impactful and timely.
The Department stated that today’s programme at Swaraj Dweep marks another milestone in its Island-wide campaign to make the Andaman & Nicobar Islands completely safe from dog-bite incidents and eventually rabies-free through sustained awareness, mass ABC operations, and community partnership.