Culling as a method of population and rabies control does not work: Keep the city stray dog free in a civilized humane way by keeping our neighborhood clean.
While no-one wants strays on the road, baying for their blood and causing them to be treated and put down in the manner they are, can't be called civilized behavior. Here is a White Paper created by the animal control people: There is nothing merciful and humane about killing of dogs in India. They are electrocuted, buried alive, poisoned where they suffer for hours with internal bleeding before dying. This action violates legal precedence including High Court Judgements of the Delhi High Court and a SC stay order and violates: • The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960) • Indian Penal Code, Sections 148, 149 and 38 (J) • SPCA Act • Directive Principles of State Policy, Article 51 (A) of Constitution of India Many of the reports that are published on this issue carried misleading or sensationalist headlines when the data in the report does not support the headline, clearly showing the bias of at least some of the reporting. In the "Free Speech Vs. Fair Trial Under Criminal Procedure (Amendments to the Contempt of Court Act, 1971) the Supreme Court took suo moto notice of extensive prejudicial coverage both in the print and electronic media, and observed that several such publications are likely to have prejudicial impact on the suspects, accused, witnesses and even Judges and in general, on the administration of justice. The World Health Organization's Technical Report Series 931 clearly states: "Since the 1960s, ABC programs coupled with rabies vaccination have been advocated as a method to control urban dog population and rabie. Culling of dogs during these progams will be counterproductive as sterilized, vaccinated dogs may be destroyed." Efficacy of ABC+AR as a method of population and rabies control is not an uncertain fact. Facts are: • Empirical evidence in the US indicates that dog rabies is eliminated when 80% of the dog population ≥ 4 months or 70% of the total dog population is vaccinated (WHO, 2004). • In Jodhpur, Rajasthan, ABC+AR studies have confirmed that the 80% threshold of vaccination coverage in the stray dog population is achievable. • In Chennai ABC+AR started in 1996, from 2005 onwards there are 0 rabies incidents (100% achievement in 9 yrs) • In Jaipur ABC+AR started in 1997, from 2001 onwards there are 0 rabies incidents (100% achievement in 4 yrs) • In Mexico, human rabies cases declined to zero within ten years since mass vaccination of dogs started (Lucas et al., 2008). • ABC+AR programs are expected to take 13-18 yrs for stabilization, or 5-7 years for a smaller population. Culling as a method of population and rabies control does not work. WHO recognises that slaughter often produces a short term effect but even maximal catching rates (up to 24% of dog population per year) make no significant impact in the dog population. Here are some facts: • Sao Paolo, Brazil: Till 1997, 300 dogs were killed every day in a decompression chamber with an increase in dog population. • Naples, Italy: Till 1991, 5000 strays were caught and killed every year with no change in dog population • Chennai, India: Culling started in 1860 when one dog was killed everyday and by 1995, 135 dogs were killed everyday. Yet the city’s stray dog population and the incidence of human rabies continued to rise. • Bangalore, India: From 1936 to 1999 Bangalore City Corporation’s chose a strategy of electrocuting stray dogs to death and vaccinating pet dogs with neural issue vaccine. 25 million stray dogs were killed but the population of stray dogs, and the number of dog bites and human rabies cases, continued to increase • Hong Kong: Till 1990 approximately 33,000 dogs were killed every year, with no impact on population • East Europe: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan Republic, Moldova and Ukraine cull by shooting at sight, and in all countries numbers of stray dogs had either increased or remained constant. The reason culling cannot not work is it is impossible for municipality to catch and kill every stray animal within 2 months, the length of pregnancy of dogs. The surviving dogs will do their very best to refill the territory by producing young. Even with 3 surviving pregnant females it is possible for dogs to regain their present population of 183,000 in 4-5 yrs! Is it possible that ABC+AR should not be successful because India is the largest market for post-exposure prophylaxis vaccinations? Consider this: • Every year approximately 500,000 people in India receive the post-exposure prophylaxis vaccinations (5 shots) at Rs. 1500 per vaccination. One dose of vaccine to vaccinate a dog against rabies is Rs. 25. 30 million dogs could be vaccinated with the amount of money that is spent on human rabies post exposure prophylaxis. The stray dog population in India is estimated to be something between 8-20 million dogs. If there is continued incidence of 'stray dog bites' is it not the companies that make human vaccines that benefit the most? • An epidemiological study of rabies in Bangalore by M K Sudarshan, Savitha Nagaraj, B Savitha and S G Veena (Journal of Indian Medical Association Vol 93) says that rabies deaths from 'BMP areas' dropped from 95 (in 1975) to 20 (in 2000) and thereafter to 0 (in 2005). • In an area where there is a balance between the number of incoming animals and losses through adoption and natural death, it might be possible for dogs to be housed, but • In an area where the incoming numbers exceed the numbers lost to adoption and natural death, there will be too many animals to provide satisfactory living conditions for them. So the call for moving is nothing better than a call for culling. • Taking Bangalore as an example, at the time of the Great Bangalore Dog Cull of 2007, of the total dog population (327280 dogs), Strays were 56.15% (183758 dogs) and Pet dogs were 43.85% (143522 dogs) – so pet dogs are a significant population, and in a large part not neutered or vaccinated. • In 2003-2004 the percentage of dog bites in BBMP areas from strays was 55% and in 2007-2008 it dropped to 52.99% , but in 2009-2010 it has risen to 62% of total bites. How can culling be called a solution when in the immediate aftermath Great Bangalore Dog Cull of 2007 the stray dog bites rose by 20% in 2 yrs? • ABC programs had started in a small way in 1995, but when in 2000-2001 it came into effect a total of 12,250 dogs were caught at zero budgeted cost. Over the last 10 yrs the average cost of a dog caught has been Rs 327, but this cost rose alarmingly from Rs 313/dog to Rs 418/dog (a rise of 33%) in 1 year of the Great Bangalore Dog Cull of 2007. So catching dogs and killing them was more expensive than the ABC+AR programs. • In 2009-10 (upto Mar’2010) considering the amount of payout per dog at Rs 500, the total payout of Rs 2.59 crores is made by BBMP to AWOs when the expense occurred was Rs 1.05 crores. Clearly this is case of misplaced, even loaded priorities. But also clearly there are proven solutions for the stray dog population and rabies control. • Garbage disposal: A zero-garbage state would be an excellent benefit for the citizens in many ways, including the fact that stray dogs would go down dramatically if there was nothing for them to eat on the roads. • An observational report from the Wellington Cantonment, Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, by the Health Superintendent in 2010, states that since door-to-door collection of garbage in the civilian area of the Cantonment started the dog population that used be very large has drastically declined. • Replacing dogs as scavengers and not clearing garbage has its own perils. If all dogs are eliminated by any method, their place will be taken over by another species e.g. rats, monkeys, cats or pigs. All of them will carry their own risks for public health. • Intramuscular AR Vaccine: Using the intramuscular AR vaccine provides protection for up to 41 months, for most strays this period will exceed their lifetime (Coyne and others, 2001) • Oral rabies vaccine: Oral rabies vaccine baits can be used in areas where it is difficult to achieve an adequate vaccination coverage by injectable vaccines only Many citizens, governments and activists cite the stray free streets of Singapore, Stockholm, San Francisco or Sydney as Indian model. But these are not the result of indiscriminate killing of thousands of dogs but a fact that the problem has never risen to the extent because of different sanitary and ecological conditions, dog licensing programs, public education for responsible ownership. Our country and its states and cities can be stray dog free in a civilized humane way, if we kept our neighborhood clean. Since most of the animal welfare work being done in Goa is by visiting and resident westerners, it is easy to understand that if culling of dogs happen in Goa, it will add another black spot to Goa as a tourism destination. There has been a drastic decrease in the tourism and popularity of countries where culling of stray dogs and cats is a norm. ( Inputs from Smita Joshi, Indian Animal Forum) ------------------------------------------------------- *Dr. Anjali Mohan Rao* Chairperson, Indology Goa GIRIVAR, Opp.Dhempe College, Miramar Beach, Post-Caranzalem, City-Panaji, Goa 403002 INDIA Phone/Fax: 0091-832-2462195 Cellphone: 0091-9765974786 Apple iPhone: 0091-9823271968 http://www.facebook.com/dr.anjali.m.rao http://twitter.com/dranjalirao http://in.linkedin.com/pub/dr-anjali-mohan-rao/16/aa2/a09 " Keep three words in your pocket: TRY, TRUE, TRUST; TRY for better future, TRUE with your work, TRUST in yourself, then success is yours. "
