Animal
rights activists call it a success story and, in probably a first-of-its-kind
reaction, the Government agrees. Delhi has registered a sharp decline in its
stray dog population with their numbers falling to less than 3 lakh in the
Capital from over 10 lakh a couple of years ago.Figures released by the city’s
three municipal corporations confirm this, while cautioning that the problem
still persists.Animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi, while speaking to The Hindu, said: Previously Delhi used to see over
80,000 bites but the numbers have come down significantly with the population
of stray dogs being controlled in the city. The accepted ratio has been one dog
per 100 human beings but that is not the case now with the stray dog population
going down. Delhi’s is a success story that can be replicated in cities across
the country. The city now has a majority population of healthy stray dogs.” A
survey by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation found that from January to June
this year there have been 4,388 registered cases of dog bites; South has
clocked 2,195 cases while East Delhi Municipal Corporation has registered less
than 400 cases. The relatively low numbers are because cases of dog bites in
the corporation are often referred to North and East Corporations that house
medical institutes having the requisite facility.
North/
East Delhi Municipal Corporation spokesperson Yogender Singh Mann said: “A
dangerous dog is an animal that has attacked or bitten or chased any person or
animal. The municipal corporations have been sterilising the dogs and ensuring
that their numbers remain under control in the city. Delhi has seen a steady
decline in the number of stray dogs.” The “heat” months of March, April, May
and June usually see the highest number of cases of stray dog
aggression/attack, Mr. Mann added.Founder of the Citizens for the Welfare and
Protection of Animals Sonya Ghosh said the increase in dog lovers in the city
is behind the lesser instances of dog bites: “Delhi has seen a rise in the
number of people associated with the welfare of dogs in each colony. They
identify dogs that need to be sterilised and take care of them after the
procedure. There are now designated feeding spots for dogs in the colonies.
This ensures that the dogs are aware that there is an assured food supply and
the people in the area are comfortable with them too.”
She
added that the only drawback has been the handing over of the veterinary units
by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to Animal Husbandry Department, which is
underutilising the facilityMeanwhile, Mumbai-based non government organisation
Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD), which is working to eradicate rabies and control
the street-dog population in a humane and scientific way, states that “it is
the haphazard urban planning that has led to a corresponding rise in population
of stray dogs in most Indian cities”.“Stray dogs cause rabies – a fatal disease
which can be transmitted to humans. India has the highest number of human
rabies deaths in the world (estimated at 35,000 per annum),” noted the
information provided by WSD.The Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules notified in
December 2001 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, however,
prohibit the killing of stray dogs except in special cases when they are
terminally ill or rabid. Besides, stray dogs can only be removed from their
habitats for neutering and immunisation against rabies.South Delhi Municipal
Corporation spokesperson Mukesh Yadav added that most dog bites occur when the
animals are trying to mate, or they feel that their ‘territory’ is under threat
or are trying to protect their young ones. “Most pedestrians/ human beings are
bitten accidentally and females will bite/ show aggression in case humans
approach their litter,” he added.
He
noted that there is immediate medical intervention available for those attacked
or bitten by stray dogs. But for those who have been chased /attacked by a
stray dog the ‘horror’ never leaves. As Shriram (name changed), a resident of
Sector 4, R.K. Puram, recalled: “Last year I was chased by dogs while returning
home and in an effort to run and save myself I fell and fractured my arm.
Though we complained to the municipal authorities the dogs were picked up,
neutralised, brought back and released in the same area. The problem thus
persists and now that my mother is coming, I am petrified about her safety as
her going out for walks would be fraught with danger.”R.K. Puram in Delhi is
not an isolated locality which is facing the stray dog menace. Both Jawaharlal
Nehru University and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences claim to have
a substantial population of stray dogs. In 2011, AIIMS reported that dogs there
had bitten 22 patients, a doctor’s wife and two students at the Institute
within a month. “Sadly the situation hasn’t improved very much and stray dogs
rule the lanes of the Institute,” said a senior doctor at AIIMS.
Prof. John Kurakar
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