Rising number of stray dog attacks

Source-This post on Rising number of stray dog attacks has been created based on the article “Indian sophistication on stray dogs can be confusing” published in “Mint” om 18 March 2024.

UPSC Syllabus– GS Paper-2-Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.

Context– Stray dogs kill thousands of Indians every through rabies, and dozens of other diseases. The World Health Organization estimates that the figure could be 20,000. Of these, “30% to 60%” are poor children under the age of 15. Rising number of stray dog attacks

What is the existing legal mechanism to deal with stray dogs?

1) India has among the most compassionate legal regimes in the world.

2) If a dog mauls and kills a child, the dog would be taken away for a few days and observed. If it does not appear aggressive, it will be returned to the same place where it has bitten the child.

3) There is no legal bar on people feeding stray dogs.

Read more- The Issue of Stray dogs in India

What are the arguments against the compassionate approach of the government and society in dealing with the issue of stray dogs?

1) Favoring dogs over human poor– A small group of global animal lovers has pressurized India into enacting sophisticated laws that favour dogs over the human poor.

2) Public safety– Stray dogs can pose a risk to public safety by attacking elderly people, children or other animals.

3) Spread of diseases– Stray dogs can carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans, such as rabies.

4) Inconvenience-Stray dogs can cause a nuisance by barking loudly, damaging property, and creating a mess. Lakhs of Indians are bitten every year; innumerable motorcyclists fall when they are chased by dogs.

5) Ineffective control measures-Measures like sterilization are not very effective.  A sterilized dog can still bite and can spread   40 or 50 diseases. Further, it’s not possible to vaccinate 60-80 million dogs every year.

6) Suppression of natural instinct-Like any animals, humans also want to exert control over their environment. So, in that context, India’s decision to sacrifice human welfare, especially of the poor who are forced to share the immediate environment with stray dogs is violation of this basic right.

Question for practice

What are the problems associated with stray dogs in India?