The horrific incident of a 38-year-old woman from Maimollem area of the port town of Vasco-da-Gama has brought back the issue of stray dogs menace to the fore again and has become one of the most discussed problems across the State.
As per reports, India officially has over 60 million stray dogs and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the country accounts for 36 percent of the global deaths due to rabies and 65 percent of the deaths due to rabies in the South-East Asia region.
According to the data available from the Directorate of Health Services, as many as 87,202 dog-bite cases have been reported in the last five years, and this figure shows that on an average, every day 48 incidences of dog bites take place in the State.
As per the estimation of Mission Rabies, the population of stray dogs in the State is a little over 70,000 and is fast growing, however, as per the records available with the Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, only 27,362 dogs have been sterilized for birth control till date under the Goa Small Animal Rescue Management Scheme, which was launched in 2015.
However, Goa has the distinction of being the only state in the country that has so far had an upper hand over rabies as the State has not reported a single rabies case in humans since 2018.
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 which made the killing of stray dogs illegal. Laypersons blame the law for exacerbating the problems related to street dogs and increasing the street dog population.
The Supreme Court of India time and again is flooded with petitions related to the menace, with a demand to issue appropriate directives to the States and a plausible permanent solution to the street dog issue and related problems. However, the Court is of the opinion that a good way to curb the stray population is to neuter them. Hence, in 2019, the Apex Court ruled that the complete removal of stray dogs would be wrong and that there must be a balance between acknowledging human risks and protecting animals' rights.
Very often citing, foreign countries and developed cities, people desire to know the way out of the street dog menace. While many cities in the first world countries still struggle with the same problems such as India, the Netherlands however has been able to overcome the issue and boasts of a near no street dog record in the country. The Dutch, however, did not achieve this feat by culling or euthanasia, but by very strictly implementing the CNVR programme (Collect, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return), a nationwide, government-funded sterilization programme. The World Animal Protection Agency believes it’s the most effective way to combat a stray dog population.
Thus, while there are petitions before the Supreme Court time and again to permit culling or euthanasia, which the Apex Court has consistently dismissed, the people of the country will have to demand better implementation of the existing laws. It is clear that the local government bodies – municipalities and village panchayats – have failed to implement the CNVR programme effectively.
Simultaneously, the populace will have to look within for increasing the street dog menace and the spike in the attacks on passersby and those riding vehicles. There is a direct correlation between garbage and stray animals, especially dogs. While many may frown upon those who feed the stray canine out of their love for the animals, the same people will not hesitate to throw their garbage-filled plastic bags by the roadside.
There is no one-act formula to rid of the street dog menace, but a series of proper implementation of laws and changes in social behavior that will ensure a civil society co-existing with nature.