Policies and Programmes for Stray Dogs: To be or not to be?

In India, compassion for all living creatures has been the philosophy for several years. As a tradition, in many households, after cooking food, a small amount of food is served to birds and animals as a sign of prayer offerings on the one hand. On the other hand, several people ill-treat, abuse and terrorise stray animals. In several instances, dog lovers have been attacked and reprimanded for being compassionate towards stray dogs.

Context

According to Article 51A (G) of the Indian Constitution, “It is a fundamental duty upon every citizen of India to protect wildlife and have compassion for all living creatures”. But do any of us even know this, understand it and follow it? The Act clearly states that feeding stray dogs is legal both within and outside any society, and what is prohibited is threatening dog feeders from carrying out their essential obligation under Article 51A(G) of the Constitution of India.

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) was established in 1962 under Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (No. 59 of 1960). It is a statutory advisory body on Animal Welfare Laws and promotes animal welfare in the country and has issued clear and extensive guidelines on feeding stray dogs.

So where have we gone wrong in understanding the policy/law?

In the first place implementation and communication of the policies have not been strengthened. Responding to stray animals is more of a personal like and dislike and not respecting the fact they also need to survive.

In India, stray dog management is a significant public health and animal welfare concern, particularly in urban areas. In recent times there have been cases where stray dogs have attacked people and in turn, citizens have brutally harmed stray dogs. To sensitise people the government and some animal welfare organisations have attempted to introduce policies and programmes to address issues related to stray dog populations, with a focus on humane treatment, population control and public health safety.

In fact, stray dogs are protected under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA), 1960 and rules enacted under Section 38 of the act, particularly, the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001; Indian Penal Code, sections 428 & 429 and Article 51A (g) of the Constitution of India are meant to support stray dogs.

It states that street dogs cannot be beaten, killed, driven away or displaced, or dislocated, they can only be sterilised in the manner envisaged in The Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001, vaccinated and then returned to their original locations. Stray dogs can be sterilised only when they’ve attained the age of at least 4 months and not before that. Killing, maiming, poisoning, or rendering useless any animal is punishable by imprisonment for up to two years or with a fine or with both, under Section 428 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

A punishable offence under Section 11 (i) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 is abandoning an animal, leaving it in a situation where it suffers pain due to starvation or thirst. To emphasise this clause, it is required by the authorities to ensure that it is communicated and conveyed to the concerned people to reduce cruelty to stray dogs.

What can stakeholders do?

In the first place all stakeholders, need to know and understand that killing stray dogs is not a solution to end the menace. Though this concept did work in some countries, currently India’s exposed garbage and slums encourage the existence of stray dogs.

Even if you eradicate the stray dogs by killing them or displacing them, new stray dogs will appear sooner or later. This problem is even more serious since 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 area.

What can the Government do?

They can play a crucial role by having a balanced humane approach and the simplest things include:

Plan and implement Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes as a priority and implement the same on a large scale by sterilising stray dogs and also vaccinating them to protect both the dogs and in turn citizens

Organise the frequency of awareness programmes by engaging with citizens to educate them on sterilisation programmes, responsible pet ownership (not to abandon dogs on streets when one cannot look after them), encouraging adoption of stray dogs

Work with NGOs who focus on animal welfare activities by promoting sterilisation and vaccination programmes by providing financial support. Use the expertise and professional help from these NGOs

Enforce Animal Protection Laws and take strict actions against offenders

What can Citizens do?

• Volunteer and contribute to the ABC programmes by working with NGOs
• Ensure proper waste management to avoid stray dogs from accessing
• Feed stray dogs in designated places to avoid any disturbances for others, by coordinating with local authorities
• Report to authorities about stray dogs and do not harm or mistreat stray dogs.

Any policy or programme can work only if the concerned stakeholders work in tandem by understanding their roles and ensuring a multi-pronged approach. A collaborative approach helps in sensitising an issue and in the case of stray dogs there is often a mis-interpretation and misunderstanding. Sometimes it is made to believe that all stray animals are cruel and have rabies, which is not true.

Both the Government and citizens must come together and address the challenges of understanding the approach to tackle the issue of stray dogs in an urban environment.

One should know that there is no one-stop solution and cannot wish that all stray dogs need to be removed from the streets. Adapting to humane methods, increasing Animal Birth Control and vaccination programmes can make a better environment for both stray dogs and human beings.