Unfortunately, it is becoming
clear that authorities with a role in solving the stray dog problem in India
have little chance of making much headway because they simply do not understand
the problem. This story in The Times of India relates how the Law Department in
Thiruvananthapuram “has come up with a solution to end the
stray dog menace in the state” by the “setting up of kennel habitats in all
cities to rehabilitate stray dogs”.
Perhaps the report unfairly
represents the Department’s simplistic view but the suggestion is an apparent
commitment to house (all?) stray dogs in kennels for perhaps 4-5 years each.
Apart from the logistical and financial problems of such an idea, the main
sticking point is that it does not actually address the reasons why there are
so many street dogs in the first place. Waste management is always a big problem
in Indian cities which means that edible rubbish is readily available to
support the dogs and that if the dogs are removed they will be replaced with
rotting garbage or a rat population explosion. Coupled with this is the fact
that many of the dogs are not born on the street but are abandoned pets or
unsold puppies dumped by unscrupulous breeders, which means that the task of
clearing the streets of strays would never actually end.
It may seem counter-intuitive but
the best way to solve the stray dog problem in India is not to target the stray
dogs themselves but rather the pet dog industry plus find a more efficient
waste management system. If this is ever done they will probably find that the few
remaining street dogs are not actually a problem and can comfortably live as
part of the community as they have been doing for thousands of years.
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Learn more about the lives and issue of unowned dogs in my e-book ”A Stray View” available from Bangkok Books (readable as .pdf on any computer) |
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Not Solving the Indian Stray Dog Problem (Again)
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