The feral dog are amongst the most destructive threats to wildlife. From transmitting diseases to wild canids to hunting wild ungulates, the 35 million feral dogs are causing ecological havoc. It is therefore neccessary to apply some mitigation strategies. Without urgent action, species, such as the Great Indian Bustard, may never be able to recover. Some of the population control methods the respondents suggested using included trap-neuter-release, euthanasia, reducing food availability, or translocation of dogs to shelters.
Can steralization tackle the feral dog menance?
In 2001, the Supreme Court ordered the nationwide implementation of the Animal Birth Control Rules. This law highlighted the need to sterilize and vaccinated all stray and feral dogs across the country. It is estimated that the sterilization of a female dog can prevent 67,000 births over a 7 year span. Estimates say that the sterilization of about 60% of the dog population in India will be enough to stabilize the population. The sterilization of females has a clear advantage in population control. However, it is also important to also sterlizalize males, in order to reduce testrone levels and hence reduce mating behvaiour and aggression.
A common procedure to sterilize feral dogs is the Trap-Neuter Release Proccess. The Trap- Neuter Release Proccess involved the capturing and neutralizing of feral dogs. The capturing of feral dogs is done by a process called the sack and loop method. Once captured, males are castalized while females are spayed. During the process, the dogs are also vaccinated with anti-rabies vacinations. Once the process is complete, the dogs are released back to where they were captured from.
Steralization Efforts Prove Ineffecient
Despite the Supreme Court ruling in 2001, the sterilization of feral dogs seems to have taken a back seat. A census conducted in December 2019 by the Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) Centre estimated that only about 54% of Bangalore’s 3 lakh strays were sterilized. Meanwhile in Mohali, it was discovered that the NGO conducting sterilizations of dogs, were in fact only conducting dummy operations.
Lack of transparency and documentation of the process certainly as rendered the process as inefficient. An app by the name of Shwana was launched on the 1st of January to help the BBMP of Bangalore to increase their effeciency in documenting the strelization process. It would be compulsory for information such as the gender, locality of the dog and an identification image to be uploaded.
Lack of Training
Lack of training and fear are also harming the capturing process of feral dogs, which certainly is hampering sterilization efforts. Furthermore, the targeted capturing of female dogs have proven counter productive. Targeting of females, would result in excessive aggression in related males, making it challenging to capture the former gender. This has resulted in the excessive capturing and sterilization of males in Bangalore. Without the sterilization of females, this process is not yielding any success. Additionally, some ecologists believe that steralization is only a long term solution to prevent the population growth of feral dogs. Urgent measures are required in certain areas, such as Ladakh, where the wildlife are surviving on the edge.
More Resources Required to tackle the Feral Dog Menance
Another reason behind India’s lack of sterilization is the lack of resources. Only NGOs which have been provided tenders by the local municaplity board can be involved in the sterilization process. The lack of resources and sheer magnitude of the problem have overburdened these NGOs. Suggestions have been made to the Animal Welfare Board of India to allow non-accredited NGOs to join the process.
Ambigious Laws make matters worse!
While the ABC rules about strelization are in the right direction for handling the feral dog menance in the country, one must note the contradictaory nature of the laws pertaining to the entire procedure. Under Chapter 3, subsection 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty towards Animal Act (PCAA) of 1960, the owner “may under no circumstances abandon the animal in such a way that it is likey to suffer pain in the form of starvation and dehydration.”
The owner, as per Section 2(f) of the PCA Act, extends to “any other person for the time being in possession or custody of the animal, whether with or without the consent of the owner.” By this definition, the NGOs involved in the sterilization process become owners of the strays.
Under the ABC rule, upon the completion of the sterilization process, the strays must be released back to where they were captured from, which classifies as abandonment and is a violation of the PCA Act. While it can be argued that the NGOs which are participating in the sterilization process simply do not have resources to care for ferals post steraliation, there are numerous dog shelters being set up across the country.
These shelters not only provide a new and comfortable new home for the strays but also directly reduces the numbers of strays on the street. This directly would reduce the chances of ferals venturing into ecologically sensitive area and causing immense destruction of the natural habitat. The ABC should exclude the clause which obliglaltes the release of strays after sterilization. The two Acts are only one example of various flaws and contradictions in the Indian constitution which is hampering the protection of India’s animals and wildlife immensely.
Non-Surgical Methods
Non surgical methods of sterilizing ferals are also possible. One such method is to injects two intratesticular formulations known as zeuterin into male dogs. Meanwhile, females are vaccinated with antineds are vaccinated with loposome encapsulated antigens. This instigates the production of antibodies which aid in the blocking of sperm from feritlising for over two years by binding to a protein called ZP3.
The binding of the antibodies to ZP3 on the surface of the ovum prevents sperms fertilizing the eggs for a period of 22 to 80 months. This in turn prevents the females from ovulating and hence producing offspring. Another advantage of this technique is that the hypersexual nature of dogs can be subdued. This will hence reduce the natural aggression of males. As a result, this will reduce stress related behavioural changes in local wildlife.
Reducing Food Availability – Tackling the Cause of the Feral Dog Menance
With numerous vulture conservation projects across the country, there is a ray of hope. An increase in vulture populations will results in an increase in consumption of carcasses. This will hence reduce the food supply of feral dog populations. Meanwhile, better municipal practices are required in urban areas. Feral dogs thrive in garbage dumps and improving the waste management of cities can prove critical in handing the menance of feral dogs
Euthanasia has been used on numerous instances to counter the menace of feral dogs in cities. However, as per guidelines from the Animal Welfare Board of India, feral dogs can only be put down in extreme cases of illness or suffering and the process has to be passive. The ferals need to be sedated with either xylazine, acepromazine or diazepam followed by Thipentone Soium I/V1. Sedation.
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