Now Reading: Study links India’s street-dog boom to garbage and feeding
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Study links India’s street-dog boom to garbage and feeding
A new study has found that abundant, predictable food from garbage and intentional feeding is the main driver of India's street-dog population, not just breeding rates. The research, by Nishant Kumar of…
A new study has found that abundant, predictable food from garbage and intentional feeding is the main driver of India's street-dog population, not just breeding rates. The research, by Nishant Kumar of the National Centre for Biological Sciences, was published in the journal Nature Cities.
The study argues that current interventions such as sterilisation, vaccination, removal or fencing have limited success because they do not address these food subsidies. It says dogs congregate, reproduce and defend territories based on where food is available, which also determines where conflicts with humans occur.
The paper calls for a shift from reactive dog control to multispecies coexistence. It says public health, veterinary services, waste management, urban planning and conservation agencies must work together, supported by long-term data on dog populations and behaviour.
Indian Opinion Analysis
India has an estimated 6 crore street dogs, the highest in the world, and the country accounts for 36% of global rabies deaths, according to the World Health Organisation. The study challenges the dominant policy focus on sterilisation programmes, which cost the government and municipal bodies crores of rupees annually under the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. It points instead to the failure of urban waste management: the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs reported in 2021 that only 50% of municipal solid waste is processed. The realistic next step is not a new law but a test of whether the Swachh Bharat Mission's waste-processing targets, when enforced, measurably reduce dog numbers in a city. The NCBS researcher is expected to present field data from multiple cities in a follow-up paper.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
