Long way to go for SMC to achieve an acceptable solution to the stray dog problem

Bhavya Dhyani

Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) census of stray dogs shows that there are around 91,000 stray dogs roaming the streets of Srinagar. They roam in the City doing what they do best, running amok, snatching, defecating, and fighting. The fear of stray dogs is overwhelming Srinagar’s 1.4 million population as the people are constantly on guard while on the streets, going to the mosque, shopping or for an evening stroll.

NATURE OF THE PROBLEM

The canines have been storming the streets, chasing cars, pulling down bicycle riders and often attacking pedestrians and school-going children. In some cases, even soldiers patrolling the streets have become their target. The concentrated population of stray dogs is causing problems in every part of Kashmir, especially in the J&K’s summer capital Srinagar. The dog menace has grown in recent years because of suspension of the earlier Municipal measures of culling stray dogs from time to time. The Municipal authorities, some years back, would cull the stray dogs on a regular basis. In fact, there was a provision in the Municipal Act for such a procedure. However, subsequently, the Animal Protection groups objected to this procedure. Accordingly, it was decided to sterilize the stray dogs to limit their growth as their presence had become a menace to the population. Because of the uncontrolled growth of the dog population and some of these turning rabid, there have been innumerable cases of dog bites.

As the garbage is strewn everywhere in the city, the stray dogs assemble on the streets and thus making it difficult for the people to roam freely. The street dogs have been responsible for many deaths and children are their easy targets, as a result, the people have started culling them on their own. There is even a Facebook page called ‘Sterilize Dogs in Srinagar’ which deals with the menace created by the dogs.

Some of the dog bite victims have died of rabies. Records at Srinagar’s Anti-Rabies Clinic show 12 dog bite-related deaths in the last three years alone. Things have become so bad that the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission had described dog attacks as “violation of human rights”. Danielle Collaco researched the problem of stray dogs in Srinagar following a cue in a newspaper report. According to his research, most of the numbers are based on secondary reports and are to be precisely authenticated. But the problem is surely large and perhaps unsolvable for a long time. Various individuals like the ‘Pied Piper’ or Khursheed Ahmad Mir in February 2011, said that he could take care of the stray dog menace by making them run out of the city and never return. Mir, an Agriculture Graduate with an MBA degree has been known to rid many cities of animal overpopulation with methods that are still a mystery. The ‘Pied Piper’ quoted a fee of Rs 20 crore [Rs 30 lakh for each of Srinagar’s 68 wards] to get rid of the dogs. His proposal, however, wasn’t accepted.

The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir ordered the SMC to come up with dog pounds to deal with the canine overpopulation. The SMC submitted a proposal for the dog pounds. According to the SMC, the total amount spent on the construction of the pounds was Rs 900 crore and 312.5 acres of land. It had also stated that it will need Rs 98 crore ($21 m) annually to maintain the dog pounds.

According to the Srinagar Municipal Corporation Regulation of Animal Birth (Dogs) by-laws, the SMC is obligated to provide infrastructure to deal with the stray dog population in a humane manner. The corporation is supposed to provide stray dogs with shelter, dog catchers, and satisfactory infrastructure. So, in order to keep up with its obligations, the SMC will build about 1,800 pounds, each with 50 kennels with the American help. The pounds will be equipped with separate kennels for males and females. These projects would require 30 teams of 3-member dog catching teams with equipment. They would need around 17 dog catching vehicles, 3,600 caretakers each who would look after 25 dogs. Moreover, there would be 1,800 cleaners and 360 nightwatchmen.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Culling of stray dogs, as suggested by many, is the solution to this menace. However, this is morally wrong and shouldn’t be done since we are talking about lives here. One cannot hold the human existence as superior to the existence of any other species. Rather, the stray dogs should be injected with a vaccine so that their bites aren’t harmful to an extent.
2. Dogs never bite without any instigation. there is a need for increased awareness about the about how to behave near dogs, especially the strays. This would prevent the occurrence of the attack in the first place. Such awareness programmes should be held in educational institutions.
3. The government along with the NGOs should develop crèche for the stray dogs in order to protect them as well as the civilians who believe these dogs entail a threat. Moreover, just like polio, the rabies vaccine should be made more accessible and affordable. Most of the failed operations of children affected by a dog bite are due to the lack and ineffectiveness of the healthcare structure. The focus should be on developing and enhancing the healthcare rather culling the stray dogs.
4. Fertility control using various hormones and their analogues as contraceptives is feasible in pet dogs. They only delay conception for a variable period of time and have to be repeated frequently with chances of developing side effects.
5. It is essential to raise public awareness to prevent dog bites, proper disposal of garbage and aggressive dog sterilization campaign should be followed not only in cities but also in districts, towns and blocks. Collaborative efforts by medical and veterinary institutions and departments along with various municipalities are badly needed. The whole programme will achieve the desired targets only if the government funding is liberal particularly in the beginning and the monitoring mechanism is efficiently designed and sincerely implemented.

CONCLUSION

The stray dogs pose a deadly threat to the civilians of Srinagar. There is no doubt it. However, this problem cannot be a one-sided affair. Provocative behaviour and lack of awareness about the same instigates the dogs to attack. The consciousness of those dogs cannot be compared to ours for obvious reasons. The government has taken several measures to deal with the stray dog, but to an extent, it’s a violation of animal rights. Moreover, it has been established that it is not much of a help. In the larger context, there has been the existence of outright opinions that are inclined towards the protection of the stray dogs as well the civilians. There is a long way to go to achieve an acceptable solution to the stray dog problem.

REFERENCES

Stray Dog Menace https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/editorial/stray-dog-menace-3/

Kashmirs Dogged troubles https://www.indiaspend.com/kashmirs-dogged-troubles-28747/

How to kill the stray dog menace https://kashmirobserver.net/2018/12/28/how-to-kill-stray-dog-menace/

A pied piper offers to get dogs out of Srinagar https://www.boloji.com/articles/10593/a-pied-piper-offer-to-get-dogs-out-of-srinagar

Why stray dogs are Kashmir’s latest threat https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-17299766

Managing The threat of stray dogs https://www-greaterkashmir-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.greaterkashmir.com/news /opinion/managing-the-threat-of-stray-dogs/