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"Eliminate the problem not the Dog" Municipal authorities "put dogs to sleep" on the pretext of controlling the street dog population and rabies. But this is not what is really happening. The greusome and barbaric killing of dogs has reduced neither the number of stray dogs nor the incidence of rabies. In fact in Delhi even after the random slaughter of one third of the canine population at the cost of Rs.1.5 Lakhs in 1990, MCD did not decrease the number of dogs by even a single dog. This is because a natural population always multiplies to that number which can be sustained by its environment. So the females during the heat cycle give birth to additional number of dogs thereby replacing the vaccum. "It's a Dog's Life" Why should stray dogs be considered a nuisance. They do not beg, they do not obstruct traffic, they take great pains in fact not to get in anyone's way knowing that they will be kicked or stoned. They live in and around garbage dumps foraging for scraps eking out an existence. Do we grudge them even that? Sometimes it is city beautification schemes, sometimes it is health drives, sometimes it is concerned citizen calls that bring out the dreaded dogcatcher squads. Armed with sticks, ropes and iron tongs these hangmen prowl the streets in search of victims. After being caught in the net these innocent creatures are kept in confinement without food and water for 7 days before being destroyed by electification. Is this the best we can do for a man's best friend? Is being homeles the crime of these creatures?A situation not of thier choosing or of thier making. "Prevention is The Best Cure" Around the world it has been realised that the only way to reduce the stray dog population is through a sensible, systematic mass sterilization programme. Sterilization and vaccination addresses disease control as well as the proliferation of strays. Initiated in India on 5th February 1994, this programme is being propagated by People for Animals all over India. In this programme street dogs are brought in, dewormed, immunised, sterilized and tagged for identification. After the post operative care they are released into the same areas as they came from.Acknowledging the merits of this programme, municipalities around the country are giving up the senseless, unproductive and costly slaughter of harmless animals. Already thousands of animals have been covered and millions of litters prevented.
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ANIMAL BIRTH CONTROL PROGRAMME
