Baglung, May 28 -- Stray dogs are a common sight across Nepal. They sleep outside shops, follow pedestrians through crowded streets and gather in market squares from Kathmandu to remote hill towns. For many people, they are familiar companions of public spaces. But they are also at the centre of a growing public health and safety challenge.

Dog bites, road accidents and rabies infections continue to raise concerns across the country, where the population of stray and community dogs is estimated to exceed two million. In Kathmandu alone, animal welfare groups estimate there are more than 20,000 stray dogs roaming the streets.

Now, a municipality in Baglung is testing what local officials describe as a more humane and structured solution....