Is the killing of stray dogs an inhumane act?

Introduction w/ In-text citation:

In today’s world animals are being mistreated by humans. Humans should try to protect these species and help animals in need. In Pakistan killing stray dogs through shooting or poisoning is a common way for the government to get rid of them, but this is wrong and ineffective (Murtaza, 2011). There are better ways to counter this issue. We should resort to methods such as making sure the dogs are vaccinated, spayed or neutered and providing food that helps in the long run as well as giving benefits such as keeping a balance in the ecosystem (Shamim, 2018). They might be more expensive than the current method but, the benefits far exceed the problems.

Methodology:

My primary source of research was a survey which I conducted on Google Forms, consisting of a few questions to see the general publics’ opinions on my topic. In my secondary research, I will be referred to books, articles, websites and other forms of information about my issue.

Research Aims:

My aim for this individual report was to raise awareness to the public to prove that the current method of countering stray dogs is both ineffective and cruel and it is unnecessary. There are better alternatives which albeit being more costly and time taking are better in the long run for the balance of the ecosystem and the environment as a whole.

Causes:
In developing countries like Pakistan, to control stray dogs, they are killed, with up to 50,000 dogs being ‘culled’ each year (Sarfaraz, 2020). This happens because stray dogs, cause damage by harming individuals, and property or disturbing others. The majority of these problems are caused due to dogs fighting with each other or mating (Brad, 2021). Another problem with strays is that some people tend to feed these dogs out of pity. This is disastrous for society because dogs get used to getting fed by people, they will get aggressive when people don’t usually stop to give them something. Yet, the biggest problem with these stray dogs is the spreading of diseases (Diehn, 2011).In developing countries like India and Pakistan, dogs are not vaccinated which led to them being major disease-carrying organisms, carrying parasites, worms and rabies, a disease of 59,000 deaths worldwide (Rabies Around the World, 2020). In a scenario where dogs are not given food, they usually get this food from trash and garbage. This creates several problems such as giving breeding grounds for other vermin and insects such as rats, flies, and bacteria from the mess they make as well as creating an eyesore in public places. To solve all these problems, dogs are culled to prevent such problems from happening in our society.

Consequences:

Killing stray dogs is harmful to society in many ways. The killing of stray dogs harms the perfect balance of the ecosystem (Preet, 2020). By killing stray dogs, other animals such as cats have fewer predators and it causes overpopulation of cats which then affects the population of the cats’ prey such as mice, birds, etc. Stray dogs are foragers, so they find food e.g., rodents wherever they live. That means lesser chances of reducing the number of pests (Saxena, 2016). Shooting stray dogs on the street also poses a big problem as shooting them is killing the more confident dogs while the less confident and sick dogs are the only ones left which spread even more disease which is also another negative consequence that occurs when stray dogs are killed. When we shoot these dogs the only thing, we do is spread even more diseases and make this problem worse than it is which is worse for society in the longer run. If we continue the killing of stray dogs the only future is that the only dogs left are sick and spreading disease as well as shy dogs who don’t come out in the open very much. At the end of the day, it is vital to understand that dogs are a vital part of the ecosystem as they are taking a part in controlling the fine balance of the ecosystem.

Perspectives:

National Perspectives:

In Pakistan, the issue of the killing of stray dogs is a big problem in urban cities like Karachi and Lahore where thousands of dogs have been poisoned and shot each year. The killing of dogs in Karachi (Khan, 2020). Killing stray dogs as an act itself is inhumane as well as ineffective and there are much better ways to counter this problem. It is also important to educate people on how to live with stray dogs as in most cases dogs only attack when they are provoked

Global Perspectives:

India: India has one of the highest stray dog populations in the world and these street dogs are overlooked and not taken care of (Bhattacharya, 2021). In cities like Kerala, dogs are killed as they are seen as a big nuisance and the problem has become so extreme that candidates for elections are using the promises of eradicating the “nuisance” of stray dogs to win their seats in the elections.

Mexico: The issue of stray dogs is a big issue for the Mexican people. A lot of dogs live in the streets due to careless and irresponsible owners. The lack of spaying and neutering programs combined with the lack of public knowledge of these programs contributes to this problem as well. Local animal welfare and animal rights are working to help counter these issues but with Mexico having around 15–18 million dogs, their effect is limited (Barrett, 2019).

Local Perspective:

A survey was conducted to see to gather people’s opinions about stray dogs. The majority of the respondents were females and consisted of a wide variety of age groups from minors (below 18) to 50+. The majority of the respondents had little to no experience with strays in their daily routines. The results showed that 37% of the people believed that the biggest reason for the killing of strays was that no spaying programs were causing them to breed unchecked. The majority of the respondents, 66.7%, believed that strays should not be killed but the others who believed that they should be killed had in most cases a traumatic experience with strays showing how their previous experiences affected their answers. The people who believed that stray animals should be shot, believed that if a big drive for spaying and neutering and generally taking care of strays were started, it would benefit society. Further, they have questioned whether the traumatic incidents they or somebody they knew received could have been avoided if this drive would have taken place. The largest response said that the frequency of these incidents would have been less. They were further questioned and asked if they would be willing to assist shelters with their time which received a negative response but they were willing to donate funds to shelters and spread the word of such programs. To further protect strays, they were asked if laws or fines should be introduced and they believed that strict laws and measures should be introduced. Yet, almost 70% of the respondents were not willing to adopt a stray. On a scale of 1–10, 28% of the people selected 10 on how their opinion on stray dogs had been changed with this survey.

The Course of Action:

National:

Generally, in Pakistan, strays are killed but recently the government has decided in some areas such as in Punjab and Sindh to make the killing of dogs “a last resort” and instead start spaying and vaccination programs. In Punjab, it has been decided to spay and vaccinate at least 1000 dogs in each district of the province (Asif, 2021).

Global:

Turkey: In Turkey, strays are treated as equals and are thought of as an important part of society therefore they are treated with respect. The stray dogs are vaccinated, neutered, bathed, micro-chipped and fed. The result is that dogs are friendly with humans and dog attack incidents are very rare. The love for stray animals in Turkey can they are fed and taken care of by passers-by (Umair, 2021).

Netherlands: Netherlands have become the first country in the world to eradicate strays through the humane CNVR (Collect, Neuter, Vaccine, Return) (Sawbridge, 2020). To allow stray dogs to find homes many municipalities have introduced high taxes for store-bought dogs to persuade people to adopt stray dogs from animal shelters instead.

Personal Recommendation:

My recommendation is to stop the killing of stray dogs by implementing large fines as well as other punishments. Governments should follow the CNVR programme and as the Netherlands have done, introduce taxes for buying store-bought dogs to incentivize people to adopt strays from shelters. Governments and NGOs must work together to bring about this change and the cruelty feral dogs face should be publicized and people should be encouraged to donate to shelters.

International Organizations:

International Organizations that take care of stray dogs include PETA, which has started campaigns for adopting stray dogs and saving dogs from illegal relocation (PETA, 2017). WWF is also working to protect feral dogs in Namibia (WWF, 2021) and there are a large number of small-scale NGOs working to neuter and vaccinate stray dogs in almost every country.

Defence:

In some cases, the killing of stray dogs is a good thing, when there is no other solution or there are not enough funds to follow the CNVR programme these dogs are killed. Killing dogs is seen as an easier solution. Stray dogs are aggressive and territorial and such killing is done to reduce their numbers and stop them from being a nuisance (Ahmad, 2015). When stray dogs travel in packs they pose a greater threat and there have been a large number of cases of packs of dogs attacking people.

Comparison between Causes and Consequences:

The most important reason why people shoot stray dogs is that they are seen as vermin and due to their size and aggressiveness they cause a lot of problems in peoples’. The worst consequence of vaccinating and neutering stray dogs is that when they are allowed to live, they will hunt down animals smaller than them while they're not being dogs is harmful to the ecosystem by cats, etc. being overpopulated a large number of stray dogs is also harmful as in some cases dogs might even hunt a smaller species into endangerment and in rare cases extinction

Evaluation of sources:

The majority of my citations were from credible and reliable websites such as National Geographic, Dawn PK, WWF and other reliable sources, written by a wide variety of authors from different nationalities to add all sides of the story into my report.

Impact of sources:

In general, this whole report has been a learning source for me but after reading sources from WWF and PETA I got to learn of the immense effort being made by kind people trying to make a change for the lives of both people and animals, especially stray dogs.

Conclusion:

My research question was “Is the killing of stray dogs an inhumane act”? Yes, according to my Individual Report research, I conclude by saying that the killing of stray dogs instead of vaccinating and neutering them is indeed an inhumane act. The killing of dogs is unnecessary when a better method exists, if governments cannot afford to initiate such programs it should be the duty of NGOs to take on this rule and start the vaccinating and neutering of stray dogs to control them in our society.

Personal Reflection:

From an academic point of view, this topic has exposed me to vast sources of knowledge and reliable websites that I can utilize for personal reasons as well. From a personal point of view, this report has taught me to see topics from different angles into account and regarding my topic of stray dogs it has shown me how some people go out of the way to do good and it has taught me to become a better person who will strive to help the community as a whole.

Bibliography
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Asif, R. (2021). Punjab decides to spay free-roaming strays. Retrieved from The Express Tribune: tribune.com.pk/story/2296701/punjab-decides-to-spray-free-roaming-strays

Barrett, J. (2019). Mexico’s street dog problem — and how travellers are part of the solution. Retrieved from World Footprints: worldfootprints.com/mexicos-street-dog-problem-and-how-travelers-are-part-of-the-solution/

Bhattacharya, A. (2021). The rabies crisis plaguing Indias’s street dogs is about to take a turn for the worse. Retrieved from Quartz India: qz.com/india/2024421/cdc-ban-will-make-indias-street-dogs-rabies-crisis-worse/

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Preet, A. (2020). Animals, too, have the right to live without pain. Retrieved from The Tribune: tribuneindia.com/news/ludhiana/animals-too-have-the-right-to-live-without-pain-42939

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