Sobieya khan:
Pakistan is experiencing an unprecedented rise in the stray dog population with cases of dog bites, animal abuse, and rabies making headlines every other day. Although the precise number of stray and feral dogs in Pakistan is unknown, unofficial reports have pegged the number at Three Million.
Among all the provinces, Sindh has the highest number of stray dogs but the province has failed to come up with a unified policy for countering the stray dog population for years now, causing an exponential rise in dog bite and rabies cases. This calls for the attention of policymakers to formulate an effective stray dog population control management strategy in the province.
Karachi, the largest city in Sindh, has the highest number of dog bite cases in the country. The Indus Hospital Karachi reports that most of these dog bite victims are less than 15 years of age.The state of Sindh reports around 600 dog bites per day. Furthermore, stray life is very hard for these dogs as they are constantly subjected to public hatred, abuse, and malnutrition. Thus, considering all these factors, the control of stray dogs is vital in the province.
Around the globe, the most common strategies to control stray dog populations include mass culling, sheltering and the Catch, neuter, vaccinate and release (CNVR) policy. For years, Pakistan has tried to control the stray dog population through mass killings but has failed to keep it from rising. This in itself is proof of the policy’s ineffectiveness. Similarly, the sheltering policy is not culturally or economically feasible in Pakistan due to the lack of animal shelters and religious beliefs which reduce adoption rates. The only policy that seems to fit perfectly with the country’s socio-cultural context is the CNVR strategy. The policy has proven to be cost-effective, sustainable, ethical, and feasible in other Muslim developing countries like Turkey.
Some developing countries including Pakistan, mass culling is still a common practice used to manage the ever-growing population of stray dogs. Although killing stray animals is illegal as per the Pakistan Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act 1890, the local governments have resorted to killing stray dogs for decades.
Mass culling as a policy to reduce the stray dog population has proven ineffective in most developing countries. According to Tasker (2007), in Albania, Armenia, Moldova, and Ukraine mass culling was used to control stray dog population, however, not only did the policy fail but it also proved counterproductive as the number of stray dogs increased over time.
Furthermore, in terms of ethical consideration and feasibility, mass culling is a cruel practice prohibited by Islam and the Constitution of Pakistan. Most people in Pakistan do not support mass culling, deeming it immoral and barbaric. Moreover, culling practices are carried out publicly and bodies of dead dogs are left on the street for a considerable time before collection. This practice, therefore, poses a high risk of increasing violence in the society by desensitizing people to animal abuse.
Another method to control the stray dog population is the sheltering method. The European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals (1987) recommends “the catch-removal method” which takes free-ranging dogs from their environment and places them in a This method is often accompanied by the adoption method whereby captured stray dogs are put up for adoption after vaccination and training. This method has shown favorable results in countries with high pet ownership rates and strong laws against pet abandonment.
However, this method is most effective in high-income countries with considerable interest in pet-ownership. This method has other issues within the context of Pakistan. Primarily, there is limited interest in Pakistan in the adoption of dogs as companion animals based on religious customs. Further, few shelters exist in Pakistan, all of which are privately managed
Pakistan being a signatory member of the World Organization on Animal Health (OIE) should ensure the five basic freedoms for animals:
- Freedom from hunger, thirst and malnutritionby ready access to fresh water and food
- Freedom from fear and distressby ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.
- Freedom from discomfortby providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area
- Freedom from pain, injury and diseaseby prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment
- Freedom to express normal behaviorby providing sufficient space, proper facilities, and company of the animal’s own kind
We have decided to write to the Government of Pakistan and to the Minister of the Attorney General asking the following
- Stop the legalized mass culling of innocent animals
- Replace this inhumane practice with an ethical TNVR (trap-neuter/spay-vaccination- release) programme
- Work on community awareness
- Establish a cooperation with local and international NGOs that can provide expertise in stray dogs’ management.
Government can encourage individuals to spay or neuter their pets to control the population of stray dogs. Additionally, implementing vaccination programmes can prevent the spread of diseases. Moreover, collaboration between local authorities, animal welfare organizations, and communities is crucial.
