Most Indian civic bodies have been killing stray dogs for decades, some since the last century. The concept was directly imported from the developed countries without any understanding of the very different urban conditions in the third world. In developing countries such as India, where exposed garbage and slums encourage the existence of strays, killing or removing stray dogs has proved completely ineffective in controlling rabies or the dog population. This is because dogs removed are easily replaced. Dogs have extremely high breeding rates. According to one estimate, two dogs can multiply to over 300 (over a few generations) in three years. They are also highly territorial, with each dog having its fixed niche Here is what happens when dogs are taken away:
As long as exposed garbage and slums continue to exist, dog-killing programmes cannot work. They only create an unstable, constantly changing, rapidly multiplying and rabies-carrying dog population. Proof can be seen in cases such as Mumbai in the late 1980s and early 1990s where 50 human rabies deaths occurred every year in spite of a large scale dog-killing programs.
Government sources claim that over half of human rabies deaths are caused by unvaccinated pets, so the killing of strays had no impact on human rabies.
By donating to Karma Animal Trust your contributions go towards an effective spay and neuter program as well as providing veterinary care to the animals of Rishikesh.