Stray Dog Menace in India [UPSC Notes]

Human-dog conflicts are taking place on a regular interval leading to law and order problems in the country. In this article, we explore the reasons behind the increasing number of stray dogs in Indian cities, the problems caused by it and the remedy thereof. This topic is relevant for the IAS exam with respect to GS2.

Stats Related to Stray Dogs in India

• According to Family Welfare’s Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI) 2021 report, there were 105 cases of human death from rabies in India in 2019. 
  • The 2018 edition put the figure at 97 in 2017. According to various data, there were 86 human deaths from rabies in 2016, 113 in 2015, 125 in 2014 and 132 in 2013.
• Over the last five years, more than 300 people, mostly children from poor and rural families, have been killed by dogs. Dogs are responsible for over 20,000 rabies deaths. 
• According to Lok Sabha data, Delhi has 60,472 stray dogs as of 2019. There were at least 1.53 crore dogs in the streets of India till 2019, the Animal Husbandry Ministry said in parliament.

Dog Control Laws in India

• The Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rule, 2001, deals with the population control of strays. It provides for the neutering of strays to achieve population stabilisation, as opposed to killing them. 
  • It also proposes the formation of monitoring committees that will take steps to limit the population of strays in an area through animal birth control programmes.
  • Rules will also address the role of resident welfare associations (RWAs) to end frequent conflicts between dog feeders and other residents.
• Improper implementation of this law is also seen as a major reason behind the growing menace of strays.
• The Animal Welfare Board of India, a statutory body under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, promulgated the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules in 2001. 
  • This policy was meant to control both the dog population, as well as the deadly rabies virus.
  • The Animal Birth Control programme can be conducted by the local bodies which will help in reducing the stray dog population addressing the animal welfare issues.
  • The Municipal Corporations need to implement the ABC and Anti Rabies Program jointly.

Limitations of Sterilisation Programme: 

• Even if dogs are sterilised, they continue to live on streets, will still bite, chase people and vehicles, get into accidents, suffer from hunger and disease, and remain in conflict with people.
• Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules are not based on scientific evidence and violate guidelines provided by the World Health Organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health for preventing rabies.
  • A sterilisation programme is most effective when it targets the majority of the population in one go, is carried out continuously over the years, and when there are very low chances of new individuals coming into the population. But this does not happen. 

Courts on Stray Dog Menace 

• In 2012, the Karnataka High Court decreed that the authorities have a right to remove stray dogs or practice euthanasia in cases where human lives needed protection.
• In its Eighth Report, WHO Technical Report, the Expert Committee on Rabies, had stated in 1991:
  • “There is no evidence that the removal of dogs has ever had a significant impact on dog population densities and the spread of rabies. The population turnover of dogs may be so high that even the highest recorded removal rates (about 15 percent of the dog population) are easily compensated by survival rates.”
• The court also suggested that people who feed stray dogs could be made responsible for vaccinating them and bearing costs if somebody is attacked by the animal.

Stray Dog Menace Solutions

• A long-term solution is to implement strict pet ownership laws, prohibit people from carelessly feeding dogs everywhere, and set up facilities funded by animal welfare organisations that can either house dogs for life, or humanely euthanise them so they don’t suffer on the streets. 
• Sterilisation of dogs is also suggested by the authorities in order to establish control over their enormous population rise. 
• NGOs and municipal authorities should come forward in order to control the rise in the population of dogs. 
• People who feed stray dogs could be made responsible for vaccinating them and bearing costs if somebody is attacked by the animal.

As long as dogs are homeless on the streets, the idea of a rabies-free India, with harmonious coexistence between people and dogs, will not be realised. 

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