Mumbai Citizens And Feeders Bridge Divide In Stray Dog Debate With Sterilisation And Vaccination Efforts

The subject of stray dogs, Indian pariah dogs, or indies, can evoke strong emotions. Dog lovers admire them for their intelligence and sociability. Others, even when they do not have cynophobia or an irrational fear of canines, detest them, labelling them as violent carriers of fatal diseases like rabies and a source of filth.

Stray Dogs: A Subject of Sharp Divides

This divergence of views has been a source of conflict, sometimes in the form of attacks on carers of street dogs. A group of residents in south Mumbai is trying to build bridges. A BMC sterilisation and vaccination programme, with the help of citizens and not-for-profit groups, has helped reduce the stray numbers and sterilisation rates to reach 84%. Feeders think this project can be an example of how the contentious issue can be resolved across India.

After nationwide protests against the Supreme Court’s order to incarcerate the strays, Breach Candy resident Sailesh Ghelani was distressed. He wanted to be part of a forum for an amicable solution. He created posters that explain why feeders are good for the community. “Feeding makes dogs calmer. Dog carers help the animals familiarise with humans. Feeding is not a crime but hitting an animal carer certainly is,” said Ghelani.

Conflicts Between Dog Lovers and Detractors

BMC’s Sterilisation and Vaccination Drive

In Worli, Aditya Natarajan, who has a social media platform called ‘gullybois’, with 20,000 followers, uses the forum to drive home the point that feeding a hungry dog is the first step to reduce the conflict. “Unfortunately, most people are too narrow-minded to see that,” said Natarajan, adding, “When you feed the animals, they trust you and it is much easier to vaccinate and sterilise them.”

While the BMC has a programme to sterilise and vaccinate dogs against rabies, Natarajan and Ghelani supplement the work by working with not-for-profit groups like Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD) to neuter the animals and administer a nine-in-one vaccine which protects from infections like canine hepatitis and distemper.

Organised group of feeders watch every new dog seen in their area. Vaijayanti Chaubal, a resident of Nepean Sea Road, said that her small group of feeders ensure every new entrant is vaccinated and sterilised. This network of citizens has produced visible results. “At Priyadarshini Park, we have seen no new puppies for a long time. Fortunately, our housing society is very accepting of stray animals,” said Chaubal.

Citizens Step In to Support the Programme

Sonal Ramnathkar from Marine Drive said 30 years ago areas like Kalbadevi had dog packs that scared bikers and pedestrians, but have disappeared now. “It is because people took an active part in the animal control programme,” said Ramnathkar. Another inadvertent result of the decline in the number of dogs is the increase in the cat population. Unlike the dog control programme, cat sterilisation is still a new experiment.

Henna Rajani, who, along with her family, feeds and cares for around 35 street dogs in Breach Candy, said she has rarely seen puppies in the area other than those dumped from other areas. “They do that because they know we will take care of them,” said Rajan, who has, along with WSD, vaccinated and sterilised around 50 dogs in a decade.

Stories of Violence Against Dog Feeders

Henna Rajani, who, along with her family, feeds and cares for around 35 street dogs in Breach Candy, said she has rarely seen puppies in the area other than those dumped from other areas. “They do that because they know we will take care of them,” said Rajan, who has, along with WSD, vaccinated and sterilised around 50 dogs in a decade.

Rajani’s family has suffered violence for their work. In 2021, her husband, Raunaq, was assaulted by a stall owner for feeding strays. The Rajanis filed a police complaint and the accused was convicted to a jail term though he was later released on bail.

The latest count of dog numbers suggests that the population of strays has declined in Mumbai. Abodh Aras, chief executive officer of WSD, said that feeders play a crucial role in the project.