Consequences of Stray Dogs Overpopulation in Asia
In most Asian countries, people are accustomed to glimpsing pets and stray dogs everywhere. Stray dogs mean street dogs, abandoned dogs, and lost dogs. They are born and live on the street, abandoned by their owners, or dogs that couldn’t find their new home.
Stray Dogs Overpopulation Issue in Asia
This testifies the growing trend in China where dog population ranks third after the United States and Brazil with a total of 27.4 million, according to official statistics. While India has 25 million dogs in the country, dogs in Vietnam total 7.2 million and dogs in Cambodia number 5 million. In Indonesia, animals overpopulation causes the number of dogs to grow to 500,000 within Bali only.
Roaming pet animals come as a result of pet abandonment. The owners of the pets are forced to leave their pets alone without any resources. Thus, abandoned animals must fend and become feral for themselves.
With the worsening situation, breeding amongst stray animals cannot be controlled, resulting in the next generation of stray animals. Furthermore, some owners do not have the funds or inclination to neuter their pets, so, stray animals continues to outgrow.
Without any doubt, the overpopulation of stray animals comes to a bad end. Human and stray animals conflict is the first consequence of overpopulation. When the number of existing dogs exceeds the capacity, road accidents can take place easily. Stray animals are more likely to cross the road carelessly, causing road accident involving them and motor vehicle. In India, 25 million stray dogs meet their death from road accidents.
Dog Bites & Rabies: Consequences of Stray Dogs Overpopulation
Animals living on the street also increase the likelihood of someone getting bitten. Again in India, 1.75 million dog bites cases occur annually. Dog bites cases successfully haunt thousands of people in more than 150 countries because 99 percent of rabies virus spreads through domestic dogs to humans.
Rabies is known as a fatal infectious disease with clinical symptoms. If not handled well, the rabies virus causes death, which has become the center of attention worldwide. In 55,000 rabies death cases annually, 90 percent occur in Asia. Not only unacceptable rabies case, but dog fouling is also unpleasant and dangerous.
According to dictionary.com, dog fouling means the offense of being in charge of a dog and failing to remove the feces after it defecates in a public place. Some of the owners of pets do not clean up after their animals. Dog excrement contact may trigger toxocariasis, and infection with harmful effects which result in dizziness, nausea, asthma, and blindness or even seizures.
Stray Dogs Euthanasia in Shelters
Sending out stray animals to shelters does not always solve the overpopulation explosion. Most shelters neglect the importance of good welfare conditions. Clean cages are doubtful as they are not sufficiently free from dirt. Animals are not properly supplied and taken care of by the absence of adequate service, interaction, and personal care.
Across Asia, animals stuck in inhumane and unhealthy overcrowded shelters. Once Sabu Stephen, a social activist from Kerala, stated, “Those which are found are put up for adoption. When no one adopts them, they are euthanized. Same is done in the US and Ireland.” Euthanasia is performed as the only possible way to control the animal population by qualified veterinary staff.
People treat companion animals without respect and empathy. As explained by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized every year, consisting of 670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats.
Euthanasia, an unethical deed, appertains to stray animals culling. The removal of stray animals by culling remains as a popular method to reduce the huge overpopulation problem. Today’s culling is no longer a new practice. Poison, kill trap, electrocution, beating-to-death, gun shooting are killers of companion animals in order to limit superabundant habitat.
Over the last three years, 24,000 animal cruelty cases have been reported in India. Meanwhile, this elimination regulation has taken the soul of 117,315 innocent feral Balinese dogs throughout 2014. The same thing happened in Karachi, Pakistan, where a large number of stray dogs were rounded up and culled.
Many were shot to death or fed poisoned meat on the orders of the authorities. Those various elimination techniques are considered to be the most effective method to prevent rabies virus spread from dog bites.
Dog Meat Trade, Another Stray Dogs Cruelty Issue
For the sake of dog meat, dogs are killed using electrocution, or they will be bludgeoned, hanged, and boiled alive in South Korea.
Yet, stray animals culling is not always perpetrated to stop dog bites cases. Some are making money out of stray dogs, creating promising businesses such as dog meat trading. This leads to boasting human consumption of pets as if they consume goods.
Research showed 730,000 humans consuming dog meat with 100,000 dogs were butchered in Bali mercilessly. The “Island Paradise” permits dog-eating culture by which tourists are duped as many think they are buying chicken “satay.”
Locals in Indonesia come to believe that dog meat is good for health. The high calories will warm bodies up, strengthen immune systems, and cure illness. As the cycle repeats, this form of atrocity worsens. In China alone annually, it has been reported that 100 million dogs and 4 million cats are slaughtered for the dog meat trade.
The dog meat industry is thick on the ground where they had registered under multiple names to manipulate figures and hide the widespread of dog and cat thefts, supporting the dirty industry. During the Yulin festival in 2010, China legally promoted dog meat after dogs being forced to travel, caged, beaten, burned, even boiled.
Yet, this dog eating festival represents less than 0.01 percent of the whole Chinese dog meat trade. Animals Asia discovered 1,039 dog and cat restaurants in 52 cities across China in the last two years. Another illegal practice involves bid rigging. Municipalities employ private firms to conduct the National Research Council (CNR) campaigns which have no actual experience in carrying out such campaigns. They are guaranteed to benefit from public funds.
Euthanasia for Stray Dogs Is Expensive Shorterm Solution
Stray animals overpopulation also burdens taxpayers. In order to put down each animal, it costs several hundred dollars. “For the most part, the animals that we’re talking about that are being euthanized are healthy, adoptable pets that deserve a loving home,” claimed Donna Ward, Lee County Animal Services. More than 25,000 animals euthanized by Lee County Animal Services has cost taxpayers $20 million.
Even though shelter takes in 10,000 animals each year, they end up euthanizing half of the population because no one adopts them. Rather than declining, a specific number of breeders increase. Ward also mentioned, “When the non-profit shelters are full, unfortunately then those animals are diverted back to the tax-funded shelter.”
Stray Dogs Has Chance to Live as Humans
After breaking down every consequence that comes as a result of stray dogs overpopulation, it is worth mentioning that every dog has a chance to live as humans do. Letting them subsist means you teach yourself to value other living beings.
No one justifies killing, slaughtering, and trading companion animals. If handled with the right person, you can help stray animals to sense the longing for love. Through ADOPSI APP, you are able to adopt vaccinated animals who are searching for a place to fall under.
ADOPSI APP is a free platform available to connect adopters and adoptee in which potential adopter obtains full data of the animal. Not forget to mention, being a discreet adopter is the crux of the matter. It is more than just showing affection, but taking care of them demands your time and energy.
ADOPSI APP is a social mission based product, which we strongly believe will be continuously existed because of the power of human-animal love and compassion support from society. To improve our platform to help as many as possible stray dogs around the world. We run the crowdfunding campaign in Indiegogo. Please support our mission to Save more lives and get more loves!
