K Srinivasan
ON October 15 last year, Parag Desai, owner and Executive Director of the Wagh Bakri Tea Group, was attacked by stray dogs during his morning walk outside his residence in Ahmedabad. As he desperately tried to fend off the dog from biting him, Desai fell on the hard pavement grievously hurting his head and passed away hours later of a brain haemorrhage.
Cut to a story from the Associated Press (AP) of September 1 from Istanbul: ‘‘Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Istanbul on Sunday to protest recent legislation that critics say is leading to the killing of stray dogs across Turkey. Last month, legislators approved the new law aimed at removing millions of stray dogs from Turkish streets citing safety concerns. Animal lovers fear it will lead to widespread culling or dogs ending up in disease-ridden and overcrowded shelters. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the law was necessary to deal with the country’s stray dog problem.”
Movement in Italy
According to the AP report, Turkey was besieged by over 4 million stray dogs that ‘‘roam Turkey’s streets and rural areas.’’ Adults and children have been attacked and over 65 people have died because of such attacks since 2022. Spearheading the movement to get stray dogs off the street is an organisation called Safe Streets and Défense of the Right to Life Association.
According to the legislation, local governments are required to round up the stray dogs and put them up in shelters vaccinate them, neuter and medically get them fit before putting them up for adoption. ‘‘Dogs that are in pain, terminally ill or pose a health risk to humans will be euthanized.’’
Now contrast this with what Wikipedia has to say about the state of affairs in India: ‘‘India has the highest number of attacks by stray dogs in the world. India has 36 per cent of all rabies deaths in the world. India also has the largest number of stray dogs in the world, along with the highest cases of rabies deaths. Most rabies deaths are unreported. In compliance with Animal Birth Control rules, 2001, stray dogs may not be killed, only sterilised. Municipalities lack the money to sterilize stray dogs. Most Indians believe that stray dog attacks are common in their area and that the municipality does not take the necessary steps to reduce dog bites.
Stray dogs and bites
“Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Maharashtra have the highest number of stray dogs. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal has the highest number of dog bites. A law created in 2001 to save stray dogs has resulted in an increase in stray dogs, as the law prevents the killing of any stray dog. Small babies are mauled to death by stray dogs in India. The Bihar Government found that stray dog bites are the third largest cause of disease in the state.’’
According to dogster.com, there are over 31 million pet dogs in India with the numbers likely to reach more than 45 million by 2026. As for the home less, cats and dogs, their number is 69 million. So how do you deal with such humongous numbers the law is absolutely clear on this account:
It is illegal to remove a dog from the streets. Unless a dog has been adopted, it has every right to stay on the street.
Euthanising dogs is also banned since 2001. In fact, the Supreme Court suspended a Bombay High Court ruling that allowed civic authorities to kill dogs.
Residents can feed stray dogs both within their colonies as well as outside. Here again, the Supreme Court has upheld an order of the Delhi High Court
Yes, dogs can be removed from residential areas if residents contact civic authorities or an NGO. But after sterilising the dogs they have to be released at the very spot from where they were picked up.
Out-of-box thinking
Dogs are wonderful pets. They are humane, they are loyal and they are delightfully friendly. At the same time, what has to accept that allowing them to loiter all around, free of vaccination, constantly in search of food and affection can create a serious situation for citizens across the country as we have seen—with tragic consequences– time and time again.
Inevitably, at some point, someone will think out of the box and find a solution acceptable to everyone. At the moment we are living in the twilight zone with the dogs having the last word.
