The decision by the Government to allocate Rs. 100 million through next year’s (2026) Budget for a pilot project in Kesbewa and Piliyandala to create facilities for stray and domestic animals, including burial and cremation sites is welcomed by many. As President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced, this is a novel budgetary line for Sri Lanka and marks a shift towards recognising animals in our public planning.

However, while we applaud the objectives behind this initiative, we must also point out the fact that there are more pressing and perhaps fundamental issues that demand immediate attention when it comes to stray animals. For example, some animal welfare groups report more than 100,000 dog-bite incidents annually, while some others claim that the country continues to record nearly 300,000 animal bites each year. Rabies remains a concern in this discussion.

Whether we like it or not, stray animals will remain a part of the society for the foreseeable future. In that context, a facility for pet cremation or burial is one tangible step. However, what matters more is putting in place a comprehensive, systematic approach to manage stray animals and domestic animals, specifically, registration, vaccination and the identification of animals. These are essential to build a safer, more humane and responsible animal policy framework.

If every domestic animal and stray animal captured for the programme were registered in a national database, vaccinated against rabies and other diseases and marked, say with micro-chips or radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, then, the public would have greater confidence that the animals that they encounter on the street are safe. Owners of domestic animals would be held accountable via registration and follow up and stray dog management would be much more transparent.

In the era of digitalisation, the tools for such an approach are entirely feasible. Microchips can carry a unique identifier, which links to a central database containing the owner’s information, vaccination history, sterilisation status and other relevant data. RFID tags or quick response (QR)-coded collars are supplementary options for identification. Together, these technologies would allow the authorities and animal welfare organisations to track, monitor and manage the animal population efficiently.

In effect, a dog seen roaming the streets could be scanned, its status verified, and action taken either to return it to its owner, if registered, or to redirect it into a sterilisation and vaccination programme, if unregistered. This protects both people and animals – people worry less and animals live without fear of arbitrary culling or neglect.

Such a system does however require more than hardware and software. It needs a comprehensive national survey of the stray and domestic-animal population which should include how many dogs live in households, how many roam unsupervised, what is the vaccination coverage, how many have been sterilised and what are the bite-rates and complications. A properly conducted survey gives the Government a baseline, lets it measure progress, allocate resources intelligently and identify hotspots of risk. More importantly, such a survey should take into account the general public’s opinions and experiences. 

Implementation and oversight are crucial. The admirable announcement of the pilot project comes at a time when credible concerns have been raised about the management of prior animal health programmes. For example, the Animal Welfare Coalition had filed a complaint with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption against senior officials of the Ministry of Health regarding alleged misuse, mismanagement, partial utilisation and non-utilisation of the funds allocated for the national rabies eradication programme. 

The complaint pointed to the alleged suspension of the sterilisation programme, and that although more than Rs. 200 million was approved, only about half was used. This is a red flag. Any new investment or fund allocation must be implemented, and accountability should be ensured.