With the issue of stray dogs burgeoning in the district, there is a need to explain the issue professionally from a veterinary public health perspective as it is far more complicated than one thinks.
The number of stray dogs in an area is proportional to food availability. Let us take Kochi for example, suppose we have 10,000 stray dogs. This means Kochi has food to feed 10,000 dogs, and this is called the ‘carrying capacity’ (CC) of Kochi. In Kerala, this food is available in the form of garbage dumped on the streets. Suppose, from tomorrow, we have food only for 5,000 dogs in Kochi, the birth and livability rate will decrease gradually, the death rate will increase and the population will come down to 5,000 in a short span of time. Hence, the primary need is to address issues of waste management.
What is unscientific about mass culling? Though dogs are killed unofficially at many places in Kerala, their numbers are not reducing.
‘Capture rate’ (CR) is the buzzword here. It is irrelevant whether you catch to kill, shelter, or neuter. In a year, not more than 30-50% of the dogs can be caught. Suppose, we kill 5,000 dogs in a year, how many dogs would we have left in Kochi? 5,000? No. In reality, the numbers would be between 8,500 and 9,500. As we kill dogs from one area, puppies are born in another, and their CC numbers return in a short time.
A bitch can give birth to 10-12 puppies at least twice a year, and these puppies will become adults in eight months.
If the livability of pups is 20% prior to culling, it may shoot up to 60-80% when we cull dogs, as their need for competition decreases. Most of our cities are not planned and CC will only rise over time. There are also chances of dogs migrating to new areas, leading to fights and increasing chances of rabies.
The animal birth control (ABC) and anti-rabies vaccinations (ARV) are significant here. If 3,000 dogs are caught, sterilized, vaccinated and released back to their habitat, their populations can be reduced in 5-8 years, till the issue of garbage disposal is addressed.
Responsible dog ownership comes prior to ABC-ARV in checking the stray dog menace. Only 40 dogs were licenced in 2014 from 12,000 pet dogs owned in Kochi. Majority of the stray dogs in Kochi are abandoned dogs. With microchipping and licensing, which will soon be implemented by the Kochi corporation, a database of pets can be created. Abandoned or lost dogs can be traced back to their owners, and penalized for doing so.
Recommendations stating that stray dogs can be killed for meat production are clear examples of ignorance about laws and quality meat production. However, Kochi’s citizens must remember that without proper waste management, the stray dog menace cannot be solved.
(Author is a veterinary surgeon with Kochi corporation)
