STREET DOG - HUMAN CONFLICT – SOCIAL ISSUE
News: Understanding
the street dogs-human conflict
What's in the news?
● In
recent weeks, there have been many attacks by stray dogs on people, especially
children.
● With
an estimated 1.5 crore stray canines
roaming around the streets in India, questions are being raised about the
implementation of municipality laws and cultural attitudes of tolerance towards
stray dogs.
Key takeaways:
● For
about 25,000 years, humans have coexisted with dogs.
● Dogs
protect us, and give us emotional support and companionship. They are loyal,
friendly and intelligent.
● According
to the relevant preceding annual National Health Profiles, there were 86 human deaths from rabies in 2016, 113
in 2015, 125 in 2014 and 132 in 2013.
Causes for increasing attacks of stray dogs:
1. Increasing stray dogs population:
● With
the lack of sterilization and population
control, there is an increasing population of stray dogs in cities and
urban areas.
● Globally,
supply always tends to exceed the demand for dogs. As a result, the surplus
animals end up on the streets
2. Resident Welfare Associations:
● Increasing domestication
of the dogs left humans in trouble sometimes, as the resident dogs are not as
social with humans as stray dogs.
3. Animal instincts:
● Dogs
get aggressive when they perceive a threat.
They want to protect themselves or their litter from attacks if they are unwell
or hungry.
4. Attack of dogs by humans:
● They
become aggressive if they are forcibly
relocated, or have witnessed abuse and neglect.
5. Lack of implementation of rules:
● The
Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules of
2001 have been recommended by the WHO and the World Organization for Animal
Health as the only way to bring about a sustained decline in the dog
population.
● However,
necessary measures have not been implemented by local authorities to manage the
street dog population.
6. Lack of required infrastructure:
● The
lack of budget and infrastructure,
the prevalence of corrupt and inefficient practices, and the absence of
transparency and monitoring are the challenges in implementation.
7.
Fascination for foreign breeds left
them responsible for bad treatment of native breeds.
8. Lack of rules for stray dogs:
● Our
State Municipal Acts, which are
meant for the protection of people, also mandate capture and removal, and say
they should be sheltered, re-homed or euthanized.
9. Urban India:
● Urban
India has two features which create and sustain street dog populations such as
○ Large amounts of exposed
garbage, which provide an abundant source of
food.
○ A
huge population of slum and
street-dwellers, who often keep the dogs as free-roaming pets.
10. Biological reasons:
● Dogs
have extremely high breeding rates.
According to one estimate, two dogs can multiply to over 300 (over a few
generations) in three years. They are also highly territorial, with each dog
having its fixed niche.
Issues with stray dogs:
● Rabies
- a fatal disease which can be transmitted to humans. Although all warm-blooded
animals can get and transmit rabies, dogs are the most common carrier. India
has the highest number of human rabies deaths in the world (estimated at 35,000
per annum)
● Dog bites
- Most occur when dogs are trying to mate and fighting among themselves -
pedestrians and other humans in the vicinity often get bitten accidentally.
Females with pups to protect may also be aggressive and bite people who
approach their litter
Steps taken by government to prevent the menace of
stray dogs:
● In
2016, the Central government prohibited
the import of pedigree dogs into India. In 2017, it notified Rules for
strictly regulating dog breeders.
● In
2018, following a recommendation by the Law Commission, the Pet Shop Rules were
notified to prevent the trade of pedigree dogs.
● Municipal authorities
had the power to euthanize unclaimed street dogs. The 2001 Animal Birth Control
Rules took these powers away by creating a category called ‘street dogs’ as
opposed to ‘strays’. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, while barring
cruelty, doesn’t restrict municipalities from euthanizing ‘strays’.
● The
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act
is an animal welfare-based legislation, which lays down that animals can be
used, owned, managed, and even killed but in a humane manner. So, the law is
looked at from the lens of human rights.
● Municipal
board programs - Sterilization cum
vaccination programmes.
International Practices:
● The
U.S. has a zero-tolerance policy for
stray dogs and up to three million dogs and cats are euthanized every year.
● The Animal Birth Control
(Dogs) Rules of 2001 have been recommended by
the WHO and the World Organization for Animal Health as the only way to bring
about a sustained decline in the dog population.
Measures needs to be taken:
● The
effective strategy would be the implementation
of the ABC (Animal Birth Control) Programme by municipal bodies in
accordance with the new ABC Rules of 2023.
● A
proactive approach would be to encourage the adoption of Indian dogs. If one person out of every 100 people
adopts a dog from the street, there would be no dogs on the roads.
● The
native breeds of dogs should be
promoted. Native dogs have better immune systems and make great pets.
● The
importance of people who look after native dogs on the streets has been
recognised by our courts. In the new ABC Rules, community dog caregivers have been granted protection from
harassment.
● Reports
of dog attacks must be tested on the benchmark
of proof.