Why does india have stray dogs

Since the ABC rules were actually passed by the Ministry of Culture, it is a moot point whether the ministry had the authority in the first place to pass laws on a subject which it lacked domain knowledge. ABC rules contravene all Indian state municipal Acts, which mandate removal of straying animals from streets and public places, both for the protection of people and animals.

Unsurprisingly, India has by far the highest number of rabies cases in the world around 33 per cent , followed by Congo. In contrast, our neighbouring countries have performed fairly well by adopting scientific principles. According to a conservative WHO estimate, there are 20, annual rabies deaths in India.

But unlike COVID mortalities, there is little concern over these recurring deaths, mostly of children. According to government records, there were six million dog bites in Also read Hiranmay Karlekar writes: Animal Birth Control programme should be better implemented, but its criticism misses the point.

The AWBI alone cannot be blamed. The Chennai Corporation used to cull strays until He says he has filed almost 10 to 15 cases against residents for poisoning and relocating stray dogs. The root cause of the hatred towards stray dogs is the fear of rabies, says Sally. According to the World Health Organisation , an estimated 35, human deaths per year are caused by rabies in South Asia.

While the inherent fear of the public towards stray dogs is justified, they cannot take the law into their hands and kill the dog, she says.

The best solution is to vaccinate the dog. We educate the public that it is important to fight the disease, not the carrier. The carrier need not necessarily be a dog; it could be a cow or other animals. Motu, reported missing in HSR Layout. Sally also stresses why it is important to change this misconception for posterity. They are asked to be careful if they see a stray on the road, maybe run or even throw stones at them.

If some dogs are aggressive, it is because of the environment they grow up. Another major fear is dog bite cases, which renders people to fear stray dogs.

According to the BBMP, 1. The number was higher in Chennai where 57, cases of dog bites were reported in the same year. Speaking to TNM, a Bengaluru police officer on condition of anonymity, says that most of the time, the officers in the police stations are understaffed and the manpower is generally directed towards nabbing suspects in the hundreds of cases they work on every year.

We are also a human being, bright? The officer, however, maintains that in cases of poisoning or brutality, where the wounds are visible on the dogs, the police do register FIRs when activists file the complaints. In September , the Kottayam West police registered a case against 15 members of a youth wing of the Kerala Congress Mani , who killed around 10 stray dogs, tied them to a pole and paraded in public, protesting against the problem of street dogs in the state.

The accused, however, were out on bail and the case is pending in the court. Such cases of animal cruelty, though brought to the attention of the officials concerned, never see the light of day in terms of getting justice.

In some cases, after the trial, the accused is either imprisoned for one to two months or even fined. In , Kerala made headlines across the globe for all wrong reasons - the mass killings of stray dogs in the state. Dogs were culled in groups and hung across the state. September 8, Summer update: people, elephants, cows, dogs, cats, and a horse!

July 12, We felt we had to say something May 3, Spring update and appeals April 8, Updates from North India February 11, Get news updates via email Sign Up More signup options.

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