- The American Veterinary Medical Association states that dogs that have been neutered are three times less likely to bite than dogs that have not been neutered. Also, in majority of the cases, a dog’s tendency to bite depends on the victim’s behavior.
- As per the researches & studies, these are the top 3 reasons why dogs attack humans:
1.) Self defense
2.)Fearfulness
3.) Territorial behavior
- If there are no dogs in a place with lots of uncollected garbage, nature will fill the vacuum with some other scavenger, inevitably one that is more problematic in its relationship to humans. Take what happened in Surat in 1994. The municipal authority made the foolish decision to kill thousands of dogs. Cause led to effect: the rat population, all of a sudden blessed with a massive increase in available food (garbage), and thousands fewer predators (dogs), exploded. Bubonic plague eventually arrived on the scene, and hundreds of people were infected & several died! (Dr Lisa Warden , Bangalore Mirror – Nov 24, 2010 )
To quote Dr. Ilona Otter, DVM, Clinical Director of WVS ITC (Worldwide Veterinary Service India Training Center) “ If absolutely all dogs are eliminated by any method, their place is taken over by another species, e.g. rats, monkeys, cats or wild pigs. All of them will carry their own grave risks for public health “When the dogs are killed, it improves the survival of the remaining population of dogs and other animals like rats, pigs etc that fill the vacuum created very rapidly & bring it back to the carrying capacity of the environment. “
- Studies prove that there is a correlation between increased human population, increased open garbage, increasing development (leading to destruction of dog’s natural habitat) & increased number of street dogs.
- In Chennai, the killing of stray dogs stopped completely on a city-wide basis in Sept 1996 & ABC & mass vaccination program was implemented effectively. From a high of 120 rabies deaths in 1996, the number of deaths has come down to FIVE in 2003.
To quote Dr Chinny Krishna, Vice Chairman AWBI & Ex- Chairman of Blue Cross of India: “Mass culling of dogs to control either the number of dogs on the street or the incidence of rabies in humans or the occasional attacks, has proved to be a spectacular failure since both have shown a steady rise in spite of greater numbers of dogs being killed each year. Where ever the killing of dogs have stopped and replaced with a proper sterilize-vaccinate-and-release program, the incidence of rabies and the number of dogs on the street have shown a decline. “
6. The two most significant factors that result in dog bites – migration and mating – are actually exacerbated by the illegal practices of many municipalities, which involve catching dogs and dumping, or killing them, & failing miserably at the ABC project. (Dr Lisa Warden , Bangalore Mirror – Nov 24, 2010 )
7. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes that slaughter often produces a short term effect. Even maximal catching rates (up to 24% of dog population per year) make no significant impact. Where dogs are removed others migrate into the area to fill the ecological niche .Recent recommendations advocate habitat control and control of the birth rate by surgical neutering.
8. As per WHO, complaints of dog –nuisance are generally made about groups of dogs , whereas those solitary or in pairs are largely ignored. Indian pariah dogs do not form true ‘packs’ but tend to group only when males are attracted to a single female in heat. Neutering can reduce this nuisance factor.
9. According to an expert on animals from the Wildlife Trust of India, 23% of the filth in Delhi is removed by the stray dogs everyday! Dogs just congregate to scavenge from our leftovers that we throw outside instead of inside a garbage bin. If we don’t want the dogs there, let us not entice them with big garbage heaps in the city. Also studies indicate that most diseases (Malaria, Flu, Dengue, Diarrhea) spread due to germs breeding in areas that are pockmarked with human faeces, garbage & stagnant water / clogged drains.
10. Unscientific methods of street dog control have had more damages to the society than benefits. Why has killing not worked in Bangalore or any other city? When the seven dogs on your street were killed, they were replaced by another set of dogs.
11. As per a research by Animal People, USA :
“The population of pet dogs in India has markedly increased since 1997, but the total ratio of dogs to humans has plummeted wherever ABC has been practiced diligently, especially relative to the years just before ABC. The Animal Welfare Board of India currently estimates that the present Indian street dog population is about eight million for the entire nation, a ratio of one dog per 137.5 people.”
thx to
Aparna Handa