Spotlight On Stray Dog Menace After Wagh Bakri Director's Death

The tragic death of Gujarat businessman Parag Desai has once again put the spotlight on India's stray dog challenge. While Mr Desai wasn't bitten by dogs as the initial news headlines suggested, it has now emerged that he fell after being chased by stray dogs. Large free-range dog populations have become a challenge in different parts of the country, and there have been several recent instances of dog attacks. An 11-year-old autistic child in Kannur and a 4-year-old in Hyderabad were both killed in dog attacks.

The discourse over the dog problem is extremely contentious, with dog lovers defending the strays as well as their feeding of free-range dogs. Others have argued feeding stray dogs increases their population, leads to a pack mentality, and that dogs have also become a threat to wildlife. Visuals of dogs attacking blackbuck or chasing away a leopard from its kill have been highlighted, as well as fears that packs of strays living near forests can lead to the spread of disease among wild animals.

This year, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying has issued the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. These Rules supersede the Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules, 2001, and are issued under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, 1960. They aim to provide guidelines for the sterilisation and immunisation of stray dogs through Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes. But critics despair there will be no real change on the ground, and the same issues of funds and commitment remain. Even if the rules are implemented properly, they say it will still take a decade or more for populations to go down.

Meanwhile, WHO says India accounts for 36% of the world's rabies deaths.

There were 1.5 crore dog bite cases in India between 2019-2022, and most of the victims were from the poorer strata, as they are the ones who usually have to contend with stray dogs on the road, not the rich.

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