THE STRAY DOG POPULATION IN INDIA & ITS SOLUTION
Compiled & Edited by-DR. RAJESH KUMAR SINGH, (LIVESTOCK & POULTRY CONSULTANT), JAMSHEDPUR, JHARKHAND,INDIA 9431309542, rajeshsinghvet@gmail.com
India has the largest number of strays in the world, with over 35 million. At almost 21,000, India also accounts for more than a third of all rabies-related deaths. India could be fighting a lost battle against rabies, because with only 15% of all stray dogs vaccinated, a rabies-free South Asia by 2020, as is the WHO’s dream, looks far from reach.
Dogs are part of the community with ties to local people, having different functions and they should not be seen as a threat but as a valuable part of daily life. Just like the human population they deserve first aid and shelter when they are in distress.
With the development of cities, stray dogs have become one of the most serious public management problems in Indian cities, and a widespread concern by the public. Stray dogs have many negative impacts on city environment and human health. There are many causes for the stray dog problem.
Negative impacts of stray dogs————
Stray dogs have many negative impacts on city environment and human health. Stray dogs cause noise pollution, feces garbage and traffic accidents. We see thousands of stray dogs roaming the streets at night. Stray dogs can cause a collision when dogs run into the road, which might even result in injury to other people and also to itself . Moreover, stray dogs have become a bigger threat to human health and lives. Stray dogs can transfer and spread Rabies a deadly disease . The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are more than 200 million stray dogs worldwide and that every year, 55,000 people die from rabies.
Various causes of stray dogs————–
There are many causes for the stray dog problem. The most important reason is abandonment behavior by residents. A great numbers of dogs were abandoned by their owners for some reasons, such as family tragedies moving and getting married, sickness and intolerable physiological characteristics of pets, no money for treatment, unwilling to continue feeding. In fact, many stay dogs in Indian cities are abandoned, because their owners could no longer afford to keep them. Moreover, lost dogs are also increasing the quantities of stray dogs. Without sterilization, the multiplication of stray dogs is also an important cause . From all of the above, everyone can see that stray dogs have become such a serious problem that needs to be solved urgently.
Options to consider—————–
The available options to deal with stray dogs mainly include: sheltering, adoption, vaccinating and neutering, non-governmental rescue actions and programs. With the problem of stray dogs appearing, there are many spontaneous organizations and programs to rescue them, for example, the programme run by AWBI in collaboration with local bodies, NGOs for stray dogs ABC programme . However, according to the current situation, these options can’t effectively solve stray dog problem in our cities. So, these options are not better solutions.
SOLUTION———-
Only a community based animal birth control program, locally based, including free medical care and inpatient facilities can result in a rabies free, healthy dog population where human and animal interests are equally taken into account.
Community based dog care projects need to be established in every town, village and city. Just like there are government hospitals for people everywhere, the Animal Husbandry hospitals need to change course and be assisted by AWOs. At present they are only serving the bio industry and the owners of food animals.
Every AH hospital needs to provide:
- Free medical care for the local street dogs at the in- and outpatient departments of their clinic/shelter.
- Rescue of dogs in distress/cruelty or accidents, and ambulance service.
- Free lifesaving surgeries for dogs after accidents, cancer, amputations, pinning of fractures, etc.
- Lifetime care for those dogs that cannot be returned to their territory or owner.
- Veterinarians have to be trained to serve and respect the lives of all animals.
- Unsterilized stray dogs must be sterilied & must be vaccinated if not done before.
- Owners of animals must be fined and must be warned to keep them tethered to their shelters.
- Facilities must be provided for keeping stray animals in a separate place.
- Government must take interest in this problem and make some plans with local bodies{animal caring} and NGOs. They should, and must, create programs that reach out beyond their walls to prevent animals from becoming homeless.
- We need to transcend sheltering and the current shelter system in this country. The shelter system, as it exists today, and has existed for decades, has as one of its primary functions the processing of living beings – either by recycling them to new homes or destroying them, but to dispose of them somehow, to relieve people and communities of their responsibility for them.
THREAT & LIMITATIONS:——
- There are not enough AWO’s (Animal Welfare Organizations) and AH (Animal Husbandry) departments to conduct the surgeries.
- Not enough well trained and caring veterinary surgeons; this results in cruelty, mismanagement and death.
- Not enough and adequate facilities for post operative care.
- Rampant corruption as usual, payments for signatures, etc.
Strengths and weakness of each option——————–
Although the various solutions above can deal with the stray dog problem, there also exists weakness in each option. Sheltering looks like a good option for stray dogs, but the truth is it is not. Because there are so many stray dogs that need a huge amount of money for treatment. Shelters will occupy plenty of land and houses. It also needs many breeders, veterinarians to treat dogs. It also needs to be able to do appropriate quarantine, regular vaccinations, and deworming. In fact, money and resources will never be enough to meet the large demand of food and cost of stray dog management. What’s more, disease can easily and quickly transfer among the sheltered dogs. Shelters cannot solve the homeless animal problem. So sheltering is not a fundamental solution, because the number of stray dogs is always increasing. Vaccinating and neutering are good options, but it also has weakness . Vaccinating and neutering are helpful in controlling the transfer of disease and quantities of stray dogs. If every female stray dog is neutered, the number of breeding dogs will be largely reduced. Moreover, studies show that spayed and neutered animals live longer, healthier lives with fewer medical and behavioral problems. But the difficult is implementation and lack of money. There are so many stray dogs on the street and other any places. Distinguishing sex of stray dogs and providing huge amounts of money to implement vaccinate and neutering still are big challenging jobs. Although vaccinate and neutering is a good option, the dilemma is without the support of government and law. Non-governmental rescue actions and programs have been springing up at recent decades. Many animal shelters and dog rescue groups have been built up. Animal rights activists organize many nonprofit organizations to help the reservation’s strays. They try to offer free and low-cost spay and neuter services, but some residents just aren’t interested. AWBI also emphasizes education, owner assistance and spay-and-neuter programs .Despite the important role that nongovernment organizations and programs play, but they also faces many difficulties and challenges, such as lack of money, limited power, weak effect . From the above all, the options to deal with stray dog problem have various weakness and shortfalls, which can’t systematically solve the problem of stray dogs in long term .
Recommendation—————
In order to improve environmental as well as public health, this proposal propose a Five Year Plan to better solve the stray dog problem. The core of the Five Year Plan is that a series of policies and programs have to be formulated and implemented to deal with stray dogs in cities by local government. The following is the main content of Five Year Plan:
Firstly, government has to formulate and enact animal rights law framed by AWBI as soon as possible. The law clearly define the definition, feeding and management, legal rights for stray dogs. It is necessary that establish a sound system of monitoring and management of stray dogs. Secondly, government and related public sectors have to provide necessary and sufficient immunity, vaccinating and neutering, medical and rescue services with stray dogs. Public health and environmental emergency must improve services on stray dog disease prevention and treatment. Thirdly, government has to provide and increase the financial and political support for nongovernmental stray dog protection organizations and programs. The government has to enhance communication and corporate with non-governmental organizations on solutions. Finally, government and related public sectors have to develop and implement specific measures to deal with stray dogs, mainly establishing “dog farms”, distribution of stray dogs, enhance monitoring and controlling, enhancing the advertising and education of pets’ owners, improve stray dogs’ welfare .
Plans for implementation———–
According to the Five Year Plan, the quantities of stray dogs in each city will be reduced in three to five years. The stray dog problem will be basically solved in five years. The following is the detail implementations: Firstly, government has to enact animal rights law within two years. Meanwhile, a half year of survey on stray dogs has to be started to master the detail status of stray dogs, including the current quantities, birth and mortality rate, increasing rate, health condition, distribution and sex conditions, vaccination rate, etc. Secondly, government make special budget to the solution of stray dogs. Invest sufficient money to provide immunity, vaccinate and neutering, medical and rescue services to stray dogs. Also Invest sufficient money to environmental emergency to improve services on animal disease prevention and treatment. And invest money to build up many big dog farms and public stray dog aid stations within five years. Thirdly, government and related emergency should fund the non-governmental organizations and programs, and sign agreements with the non-governmental organizations, establish information exchanging platform to public. Fourthly, the government should invest money to implement series programs, such as stray dog rescue programs, distribution programs, education programs on pets’ owners, stray dogs’ welfare program, stray dog’s protection programs, and so on. Fifthly, the government should enhance and improve dog’s breeding registration and license system, establish a sound system of monitoring and management of stray dogs, make an achievement survey and evaluate the policy.
Reference-On Request.
