Indrani Basu
30 Mar, 2026
Kharghar: With rising dog-bite incidents becoming a growing concern, animal activist and rescuer Jyoti Nadkarni highlighted that “an effective, compassionate approach to strays can significantly reduce such cases” during an awareness session on March 29 at Hyde Park Housing Society.
The session, conducted by Nadkarni alongside Joyita Mukherjee, aimed to educate children on Compassionate Stray Dog Management, safety, and responsible behaviour around animals. Key topics included fostering empathy towards strays, promoting coexistence, understanding humane handling practices, and creating safer environments for both humans and animals.
Nadkarni explained that aggression in stray dogs often stems from hunger or poor health. Referring to a severe dog-bite incident in Taloja, she said, “Sometimes strays are fed raw meat near butcher shops and become habituated to it. When hungry, they may search for raw meat or flesh, which can lead to unfortunate incidents.” She emphasised the role of community feeders in ensuring dogs are fed properly and on time, helping to curb hunger-driven aggression.
Highlighting the animals’ affectionate nature, Nadkarni added, “Dogs are generally friendly and seek attention, love, and compassion, especially from children. Approaching animals calmly and kindly rarely provokes aggression.” She also explained how human fear responses can trigger defensive behaviour, noting that adrenaline produces a scent detectable by dogs, which may irritate or alarm them.
The session concluded with children interacting with local strays, who responded positively to the attention and affection. Nadkarni and Mukherjee described the response as encouraging, adding, “This is just the beginning, a step toward reducing human-stray dog conflict by promoting a compassionate approach. We plan to conduct more sessions across societies for wider awareness.”