The life of a street dog is fraught with danger. She struggles daily with traffic, other animals and fearful encounters with people who are rightly terrified of becoming a victim of a dog bite or, worse, of contracting rabies.
In India, the issue is particularly acute. Millions of street dogs coexist with people in the country’s booming cities. Indians experience among the highest rates of dog bites in the world. Thirty six percent of the world’s rabies deaths occur in India, according to the World Health Organization.
But now, thanks in part to American cats, there’s hope for India’s street dogs. And that means there’s also hope that India may become a rabies-free country.
Cat lessons from the U.S.
The solution? A quick surgery developed by Humane Society International called Capture, Neuter, Vaccinate & Return (CNVR) that is based on the work done in the United States to manage feral cat populations. The strategy of trapping and killing feral cats–both inhumane and ineffective—is now considered outdated. Many American communities have successfully turned to CNVR to control population numbers. While the released cats are still homeless and visible, they are no longer reproducing and are often provided food and veterinary care by local caretakers. This, in general, is accepted and tolerated by the American public.
India’s dilemma with street dogs is similar to the American feral cat issue.
Where there are people, there are dogs. While many are nervous about dog bites, Indians also have a great tolerance and, in some cases, compassion, for street dogs. Despite the fear of rabies, street dogs are often cared for by local communities. However, as many places in India lack effective street dog population and vaccination programs, cruel and indiscriminate dog culls are often the program of choice when there is a community outcry for action following a biting incidence or a potential rabies outbreak.
