Sri Lanka’s Street Dog Population Rises to Over 2 Million, Says Animal Welfare Association

Sri Lanka’s stray dog population has surged to over two million, sparking growing concern among animal welfare groups as dog bite cases climb to nearly 250,000 each year.

The Sri Lanka Animal Welfare Association has sounded the alarm over the country’s rapidly increasing stray dog population, estimating the number to be between two and three million.

During a media briefing held in Kandy on Tuesday (12), Champa Fernando, Secretary of the Kandy Association for Community Protection through Animal Welfare (KACPAW), warned that the situation is reaching a critical point.

“We are sitting on a volcano that is about to erupt,” she cautioned.

Fernando explained that although Rs. 100 million was allocated in this year’s national budget for dog welfare, a previous allocation of Rs. 184 million in 2023 for population control saw only Rs. 27 million utilized — leaving sterilization programs grossly underfunded.

According to her, female dogs give birth twice a year, and there is now one dog for every eight people in Sri Lanka. While dog culling was banned in 2006, sterilization programs that began in 2008 have not been effectively maintained due to poor financial management and lack of coordination.

She stressed that building dog shelters or crematoriums would not solve the problem, emphasizing the need for nationwide sterilization and vaccination programs.

Fernando also called on authorities to implement a national dog registration system, while urging the public to support sterilization efforts to prevent further population growth.

She warned that over Rs. 600 million would be required to vaccinate citizens against rabies if the situation continues unchecked, highlighting the urgency of a coordinated national response.