The Pariah Dogs of India

 

Background

When I was young, it was an accepted norm to  put the stray dogs to sleep to control their population and caged municipal vehicles carrying these poor animals was a common sight. I don’t know how it was done but I assume it must be poisoning and it must be very painful for the most loyal friend of the humans. 

As I researched a little, I learnt that this practice was a legacy of the British who killed stray dogs due to the threat of rabies as it was widespread in British India, and treatment of bite victims imposed a major financial burden on the colonial Government. The earliest recorded case of dog killing is of 1791 in Kolkata wherein 4 annas were awarded for every dog that was killed. According to a report, in 1913, 3003 male dogs, 2957 female dogs and 392 pups were killed in Madras. The dogs were killed by electrocution and their meat fed to the zoo animals while their skins were sold. Despite the extreme fear of rabies, the native Indians did not overwhelmingly support the killing of dogs, in fact in 1932, the Parsis in Bombay rioted against the indiscriminate killing of dogs by the British. 

The Present Situation 

India is still endemic for rabies, and accounts for 36% of the world’s rabies deaths. True burden of rabies in India is not fully known; although as per available information, it causes 18 000-20 000 deaths every year. About 30-60% of reported rabies cases and deaths in India occur in children under the age of 15 years as bites that occur in children often go unrecognized and unreported 

After independence, killing of dogs continued for a few years however with the passing of the “The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (PCA)” and with active involvement of many NGOs the practice slowly stopped resulting in significant increase in their population.  

It Is a common sight to see large packs of stray dogs roaming the streets of Indian cities, towns and villages. They are present in every nook and corner including government offices, educational institutions, religious places, military cantonments and gated hoisting societies. Most of these are in a poor state of health especially the lactating mothers and it is a pity to see them foraging for food and being abused. Unfortunately a large number of people are bitten by stray dogs across the country every year. As per data provided to the Lok Sabha, in the first six months of 2022, over 14.50 lakh people have become victims of dog bites and the total number is likely to be about 25 lakhs. Gurgaon alone has an estimated number of 1.5 lakh stray dogs. The birth control programs from the Government have been halfhearted and have failed to control the population of dogs resulting in conflicts and burgeoning of legal cases between the dog lovers and those who oppose.  

Way Forward 

The enormity of the stray dog problem and the conflicts that arise from it need to be taken seriously by all the stakeholders i.e. the Judiciary, Government, Animal welfare Board of India (AWBI) NGOs and the public. Serious efforts must be made to resolve this problem as it has a major impact on the health and well being of both the humans as well as the animals.  

We all know that this problem can be resolved if population of the dogs is controlled, they are kept disease free and  are well fed. In addition we need to educate the communities to be more tolerant and compassionate towards them. This can only happen provided we have a an effective sterilization and vaccination program which has to be spearheaded by the Government in partnership with the NGOs. It is unfortunate that most municipalities including that of my city Gurgaon have miserably failed on this account. I urge the Government especially the Municipal corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) to take a lead and facilitate vaccination and sterilization of the stray dogs. For this they  need to create infrastructure and ensure easy availability of neutering and vaccination clinics.  

It is my considered opinion that problem of stray dogs is a community issue and it is so big that it cannot be resolved by the government or by the municipalities alone. There is a need for the communities to come forward and help to deal with this problem. The Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs) must take initiative to neuter, vaccinate and feed the stray dogs in their self-interest. People must realize that a neighborhood with well managed and controlled population of stray dogs is safer and a better place to live. 

The NGOs fighting for animal rights are doing an yeomen service however have not been able to change the public opinion on stray dogs because of their rigid and  self righteous attitude. They need to leave extreme positions and find middle ground and show equal concern for the rights of local populations to leave peacefully without fear of dog bites. 

Last but not the least, the Government, NGOs and communities must endeavor to educate local populations to coexist with all animals more so the stray dogs who have been sharing this land with us from times immemorial.