‘Rabies-free Nilgiris’ provides blueprint for rabies control in Tamil Nadu: Worldwide Veterinary Service

With the Nilgiris having been “rabies-free” since 2013, the World Wide Veterinary Service (WVS-India) has outlined strategies that can be implemented in other regions to replicate its successes in reducing rabies deaths among humans and animals in Tamil Nadu.

“The fact that the Nilgiris has a natural forest boundary certainly helps ensure that potentially rabid animals from surrounding areas do not infect animals here,” said Nigel Otter, president of WVS-India (headquartered in the UK), an organization that implements Animal Birth Control (ABC) programs through sterilization of stray dogs.

Otter Animal Health Solutions owner Dr. Ilona Otter said that an intersectional committee for ‘rabies-free Nilgiris’ was set up in 2013 under the chairmanship of the then collector Archana Patnaik, in an initiative organized by the Pasteur Institute of India, Coonoor and WVS-India.

Dr. Otter said that the stray dog ​​population in the district has been brought under control by the constant sterilization of stray dogs in the Nilgiris since 2010. Nigel Otter estimates that WVS carries out an average of at least 6,000 to 7,000 annual sterilizations each year. Another important strategy was to ensure that all stray dogs in the Nilgiris were vaccinated; Rabies vaccinations are also given free of charge at the WVS-India clinic.

“WVS India is also developing a ‘rabies control buffer zone’ in the Mettupalayam-Karamadai area of ​​Coimbatore rural district. This includes the ABC-ARV study as well as booster vaccination drives. The WVS-India team vaccinated 2,297 dogs in that area in September 2025. We have collaborated with municipalities and panchayats there,” Nigel Otter said in a statement.

Dr. Ilona said increasing the rollout of rabies vaccines across the State, including rural areas, and providing dog owners with access to clinics to vaccinate and neuter their animals are key factors that will help reduce rabies deaths in Tamil Nadu. Quoting statistics from the Tamil Nadu Department of Public Health analyzing rabies deaths between 2018-2022, Dr. Ilona said statistics show that 70 percent of rabies deaths occur in rural areas, while 40 percent of deaths are due to pet dog bites.

“Rabies in dogs is prevented by annual vaccination of dogs. This should cover all dogs, especially owned dogs (low-hanging fruit). There are many reasons why thousands of dog owners living in small towns and rural areas or from low-income households in cities do not have access to annual rabies vaccination for their dogs. These reasons need to be understood and systems created to overcome existing barriers,” said Dr. Otter added that neutering is a “supportive tool for rabies.” Control of rabies in dogs should always be based on annual vaccination and all dogs owned should be vaccinated annually.