A workable solution for Gurgaon’s stray dog problem

Recent data provided to the Haryana Assembly states that between 2014-22 Municipal Corporation of Gurugram spent Rs 2.87 crore to sterilize 42,228 stray (community) dogs, leading other municipalities. In all, Haryana’s municipal bodies spent Rs 17.46 crore to sterilize 1.37 lakh dogs over a seven-year period.

This is woefully inadequate. Despite being the best of the lot, MCG’s tally barely scratches at the surface given Gurugram’s street dog population. MCG will always be way behind the curve and struggle to find personnel and means for neutering operations — let alone the will or a sense of prioritization the task requires.

As the stray population increases, MCG resorted to what seemed the easy way out. It issued an order that dog owners must register their pets (one per family) and canines found in public places without tags will be detained and destroyed if not claimed in a week’s time. Protests by pet owners and animal lovers saw the corporation amending its order with officials saying the intention was never to kill unclaimed dogs.

Yet, the amended order continues to be dissatisfactory on many counts. Unregistered pet dogs will be “detained” at a facility until the owner shows up and pays a fee for the time spent at the shelter. But what about strays? If they are picked up, who will come forward to claim them? And even if a caregiver does, will she have to fork out money for the time the dogs were “held in detention”?

 Anti-dog sentiments

Recent weeks and months have seen a worrying rise of “anti-dog” sentiment in the wider public. Many people are demanding “something be done” about strays on the grounds that they pose a danger to residents. Some instances of attacks have only fed these accounts, even though on the whole strays are often victims of gratuitous and sadistic violence and vulnerable to accidents and injuries.

It is, however, true that there is a need to control stray population so that there is no overcrowding, territorial fights and instances of dog bites. But the way to do this is not detention or destruction of strays. It seems an easy solution but lining up carcasses will not be enough: there are too many strays and it will take forever, leave aside the brutality of making dogs pay for what is essentially a failure of municipal governance.

Getting after dog feeders will not help either. Even if they stopped feeding community dogs, the stray problem will not go away. Rather, half-starved dogs will be more aggressive and a bigger issue. Very often animal enthusiasts pay for anti-rabies shots and also foot the bill for sterilization in their colonies.

Solutions that can work are not rocket science

There is no short cut but there are indeed solutions that are doable. And they are neither expensive nor rocket science.

– No corporation can undertake the scale of sterilization needed. MCG should continue to interact with serious NGOs and individuals who are keen to find answers. It should also post on its website an announcement seeking suggestions from the public. The corporation will be surprised at the utility of the exercise.

– MCG can launch a public initiative seeking partners (individuals and organisations) to carry out sterilizations. This can be volunteering to identify strays in colonies in coordination with MCG who are then operated on and released back to their locales. The corporation can seek funds from the public who can donate for this specific cause. As of now a limited number of NGOs carry out or facilitate operations.

– Private vets can be encouraged to operate on strays brought in by individuals. They can upload proof of sterilization and claim a reimbursement. It will not be the thousands they charge for pets but some vets will agree to devote time for this public cause.

– An increase in the number of sterilization operations will impact the stray population but more is needed. This will happen only when the corporation (and individuals) reduce/eliminate garbage on the roads that is a food source for strays.

– Garbage management is a key failing of municipalities and MCG is no exception. This is a vital task where the corporation must step up its game. The logic is simple enough. The garbage piles that are common place in Gurugram result in a rise of not just the dog population. All manner of stray animals feed off these dumps. Cattle, pigs, rodents all proliferate besides dogs, posing a risk to public health.

– To sum up, a well thought out sterilization programme along with garbage disposal will bring down the stray dog population to manageable limits. There will be a survival of the fittest. These are tasks where MCG must show leadership. It can seek many partners, including top IT firms in the city who can be asked to donate brain power to devise digital tools for the purpose.

Framing a humane response

The ugly scenes often witnessed in societies and colonies where a section of residents and dog owners/feeders regularly clash can be avoided. Some of the above suggestions may already be in operation but need more urgent application. The victims of rage and apathy are canines who have no votes and who, if given the slightest encouragement, are loyal and loving mates. They are our responsibility.

The cliché that one way a society is judged is by how it treats animals is very true. It is not a difficult test to pass if only we put our minds to it.

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