Kerala dog culling: Why the debate of 'dog lover vs human lover' is dumbing it down

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A debate on the Kerala government’s decision to ‘deal’ with stray dogs almost always denigrates into a fight of ‘dog lovers’ Vs ‘human lovers’. The question - 'Why kill stray dogs?’ is most likely met with a retort - ‘Do you not care for the humans who are mauled, bitten and killed by dogs?”. I am a dog lover and I want human beings to be safe on roads. There are many others like me. Why does the debate always have to hinge on extremities and why can’t a middle path be achieved? Those on either side need to realize that the debate is not about public safety versus diseased dogs, but about an inclusive policy that allows everyone to live in peace. We need to first dispel the myth that culling dogs indiscriminately is the solution to the problem. 1. No matter how many dogs are culled, research from all over the world shows that the dog population cannot be controlled that way. The Scroll.in quotes Jack Reece, veterinary surgeon with Jaipur-based non-governmental organisation "Help in Suffering" as saying, “Culling does not work to control dog population. There is too much migration, improved reproduction and increased pup survival so very quickly the dog population is back to its original value.” 2. The Kerala government’s assurance that it will identify ‘extremely dangerous’ dogs and ‘deal’ with them is bunkum. There is no way in which municipality workers are equipped to identify rabid dogs. This means just to quell the anger, a lot of dogs that are not suffering from rabies may end up getting culled. How does that look on our conscience? 3. Dogs live in packs or groups and are territorial animals. If dogs in a particular area are culled, a pack from another area will move into the territory. 4. Many figures have been floated by the Kerala government. Some Ministers says 1.06 lakh canine bite cases have been reported in 2014- 2015 and 40,000 in 2015 alone. But no differentiation has been made between bites by pet and stray dogs. A Times of India report said that as per statistics provided by the Ernakulam General Hospital, 75.6% bites were by pet dogs. According to the hospital’s data, among the 1,074 dog bite cases reported at the hospital this year, in 75.6% of cases the culprits were pet dogs. Stray dogs were the villains only in 262 cases. 5. Insect, animal or human- each one plays a role in our ecosystem. Mass culling will disturb the eco system. A city like Kochi that grapples with waste management cannot afford to mass cull dogs as that will affect the city’s balance. What should we be demanding? Dog lovers, human lovers or both, it is imperative that we demand accountability from the government. The Kerala government needs to have a sustained policy on controlling the population of stray dogs. The government has to engage with NGOs and ensure that groups of dogs are systematically rounded up, sterilized and vaccinated. This is not an impossible task. Cities like Chennai and Jaipur have done it and maintained a healthy population of dogs on its streets. Kerala cannot behave like a rabid state that hyperventilates every few years when the number of dog bites have apparently risen.

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