Not a stray matter: Animal rights activists keep that correct care, socialising and feeding of stray canine is important to maintain the deserted canines calm whereas roaming on the streets.
| Photo Credit: KUMAR SS
This 12 months, at the very least 4 kids died of dog bites in India — two siblings aged seven and 5 in Delhi, a two-year-old in Surat, and a four-year-old in Hyderabad. Footage from the Hyderabad incident unfold throughout social media, upsetting outrage. The anger has resulted in housing societies discouraging folks from feeding canine and even using bouncers to threaten dog lovers.
Every week in the past, the Bombay High Court mentioned that treating stray canine cruelly can by no means be an appropriate method. It mentioned that taking good care of animals is authorized and stopping folks from doing that will quantity to an offence. The order was handed in a case filed by a resident of a society in Mumbai who was prevented from feeding stray canine. In a comparable case in February, the identical courtroom noticed that if canine are fed and cared for, they might change into much less aggressive. In September final 12 months, a Supreme Court Bench orally noticed that whereas feeding canine is a humane act, defending folks from stray dog assaults can be essential.
At least 5 High Courts — Bombay, Allahabad, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Delhi — have weighed in on the problem since 2022. The Animal Welfare Board of India issued advisories in December 2022 on the problem. Over the previous 12 months, dog assaults have induced nationwide concern.
There have been round 1.5 crore stray canine in India in 2019. Approximately 1.5 crore situations of dog bites have been recorded between 2019 and 2022. Chart 1 exhibits the State-wise variety of stray canine, based on the 2019 Livestock Census. In that 12 months, Uttar Pradesh led the record with a stray dog inhabitants of 20 lakh adopted by Odisha (17 lakh) and Maharashtra (about 12.7 lakh). In complete, there have been 1,53,09,355 stray canine in India.
Chart 1
The chart exhibits the State-wise variety of stray canine, based on the 2019 Livestock Census
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Chart 2 exhibits the State-wise variety of dog chunk circumstances recorded between 2019 and 2022. Uttar Pradesh recorded 27.5 lakh bites, adopted by Tamil Nadu (21.4 lakh) and Maharashtra (16.9 lakh). In complete, there have been 1,55,29,012 recorded circumstances of dog bites in India.
Chart 2
The chart exhibits the State-wise variety of dog chunk circumstances recorded between 2019 and 2022
Chart 3 exhibits the State-wise variety of human deaths as a result of rabies registered between 2016 and 2020, based on the National Health Profile (NHP). West Bengal registered 194 such deaths within the interval adopted by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh with 86 and 41 deaths, respectively. However, information on rabies circumstances and deaths are unreliable because the numbers fluctuate wildly relying on the sources referred to. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, there have been 268 rabies deaths in India, however based on the NHP, there have been solely 55 deaths that 12 months. While there have been two rabies deaths in 2019 in Kerala based on the NHP, the State’s Health Department recorded eight deaths.
Chart 3
The chart exhibits the variety of human deaths as a result of rabies registered between 2016 and 2020
With the WHO estimating that 99% of human rabies circumstances are transmitted by the chunk of contaminated canine, the National Action Plan for Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination From India has proposed strategic mass dog vaccination as a method ahead. If 70% of the canine are vaccinated, and the trouble is sustained for three years, rabies could be eradicated, says the doc. The WHO agrees that that is a cost-effective method of tackling the problem.
The outcomes of a data-driven rabies elimination programme in Goa, revealed within the Nature journal in May 2022, confirmed that vaccinating 70% of the canine within the State helped get rid of human rabies circumstances and led to a 92% discount in month-to-month canine rabies circumstances (Chart 4).
Chart 4
Results from a data-driven rabies elimination programme in Goa present that vaccinating canine helps scale back human rabies circumstances
While the main target must be on vaccinating canine for rabies, it’s to be famous that every one 4 kids who died this 12 months succumbed to chunk accidents and weren’t rabies victims.
Source: National Health Profile, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha replies, 2019 Livestock Census
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