Dog menace‏

5-Mar-2007
Dear PM,

Problem – Dog menace

Two months back a nine year old girl was attacked and killed by fourteen street dogs in Bangalore. Few days back a 4 year old girl was again killed by stray dogs. Let me tell you few shocking statistics.

Number of street dogs in Karnataka – 4 lacs

Number of people bitten by street dogs in Karnataka in 2003 – 111,444

Number of street dogs in India – 6-7 million

Number of people bitten by street dogs in India every year – 17.6 million

Solution

The problem is serious. Street dogs must be captured and kept in an enclosed area after sterilization (immunization is not required). Dogs must be feed throughout their life span. I am not in favour of killing dogs unless they grow symptom of madness. I am also against letting the dogs back in the street after sterilization and immunization. This will not solve the fundamental problem of dog bite and killing of people.

If adequate infrastructure cannot be provided, we don’t have any option but to kill thousands of dogs. During foot and mouth disease, British government killed one million sheep. Government of Greece killed 50,000 dogs in Athens. Even Gandhiji approved killing of stray dogs. He said

Dogs we kick about and belabour with sticks, their ribs are seen sticking out and yet we are not ashamed of ourselves and raise a hue and cry when a stray dog is killed. Which of the two is better – that 5000 dogs should wander about in semi-starvation living on dirt and excreta and drag on a miserable existence, or that 50 should die and keep the rest in a decent condition? But it is possible that the man who kills the dogs that he cannot bare to see tortured thus, maybe doing a meritorious act. Merely taking life is not always himsa, one may even say there is sometimes more himsa in not taking life.

The destruction of bodies of tortured creatures being for their own peace cannot be regarded as himsa, or the unavoidable destruction caused for the purpose of protecting ones wards, cannot be regarded as himsa.

URL of the above text is as follows

http://www.karmayog.com/dogs/gandhijiletter.htm

Duration

I believe the problem can be solved in six months. Deadline can be extended to three months in those areas where at least 70% of the street dogs are off the road.

Accountability

State health minister and chairman of each corporation/municipality ward must be held accountable in the event of failure. They have to resign from their post and cannot undertake any public responsibility by means of election in next three years. 

Acceptance Criteria

Not a single stray dog should be on the street. In countries like US, UK, Singapore, NZ, Australia and many other countries one cannot find any stray dogs in the street.

Measurement

Concerned officer must certify that problem has been resolved according to the acceptance criteria. NGOs will cross verify the claim through random sampling.