Stray Dog Menace Problem
 
Dogs are considered as man’s best friends. The relationship between man and dog is as old as our ancient epics. According to a legend, it was a dog who showed Yudhishthira, the Pandava King, the path to heaven. Historically speaking dog was the first animal to be domesticated by human beings. However, today, plenty of dogs fall under the category of ‘stray’. These ‘stray’ dogs have to face a lot of problems which include shrinking habitats, lack of proper shelter, food, etc. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 makes provisions for funding of shelters for ‘stray’ animals. Nevertheless, providing shelters to each and every ‘stray’ dog is still a distant dream. The rapid expansion of human settlement owing to overpopulation in the past few decades has posed further problems for these ‘strays’. It has enhanced the chances of clash between human beings and ‘stray’ dogs.
 
In the aforesaid context, in recent years we see a dramatic rise in instances of ‘stray’ dog-bites in India. According to an estimate, there are 6 crore 40 lakh stray dogs in the country, out of which around 8 lakh dogs are there in the capital city Delhi alone. Every year approximately 4 crore cases of dog-bites are being reported across the country. Out of these, nearly 20,000 people succumb to death due to rabies. This, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), accounts for one-third of the global deaths due to rabies making India the rabies capital of the world. India, in fact, is lagging behind many smaller countries of South Asia such as Bhutan, Sri Lanka, etc. in tackling the spread of rabies. These facts and figures are enough to embody the seriousness of the issue. Our movement is to raise awareness against ‘stray’ dog-bites and to ensure amicable human-dog relationships.
 
We appeal to you to come and join us in this noble endeavour.