Swaraat / N R Senthil
Dog-related “menace” to humans mainly arises from unmanaged stray or community dog population, leading to bites, rabies risk, and fear, but there are proven public‑health and animal‑welfare based solutions.
Main problems for humans
Public health: Dog bites can transmit rabies and other infections; globally about 59,000 people die from rabies each year, with most human cases caused by dog bites and a heavy burden in Asia and Africa.In India and similar countries, very high numbers of stray dogs and poor vaccination coverage contribute to many bite incidents and a large share of global rabies deaths. Environmental and nuisance issues include dogs chasing people, barking at night, fighting in groups, and sometimes attacking children or cyclists, especially where waste is unmanaged and dogs compete for food.
Why the “menace” happens
Overpopulation of free‑roaming dogs is driven by uncontrolled breeding and abundant food from open garbage and meat waste, which supports large street dog packs.Fear, teasing, hitting, or injuring dogs can trigger defensive aggression, worsening human–dog conflict in many neighbourhoods.
Proven long‑term solutions
Mass vaccination: Vaccinating at least about 70% of dogs in an area creates herd immunity and is the most effective way to eliminate dog‑mediated human rabies.
Mass sterilisation (spay/neuter): Large‑scale Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes reduce breeding, gradually decrease stray numbers, and can also lower aggression and territorial behaviour.
Better waste management: Closing open garbage dumps, managing meat/shop waste, and limiting food sources on streets helps keep stray dog numbers from exploding.
Supportive policies and community actions
Laws and guidelines that require responsible pet ownership, registration, and vaccination of owned dogs reduce the flow of abandoned, unvaccinated animals onto the streets.Educating the public (especially children) about safe behaviour around dogs, how to avoid provoking them, and what to do after a bite (immediate washing and seeking vaccination) greatly lowers risk.
Encouraging adoption of street dogs from shelters or communities, rather than buying dogs, helps reduce the number of dogs living unmanaged on the streets.
What does not work well
Large‑scale killing or random relocation of dogs has repeatedly failed; new, unvaccinated dogs quickly move into emptied areas and the risk of bites and rabies returns.Ignoring dogs or stopping all feeding without parallel vaccination/sterilisation and waste control tends to increase competition, stress, and aggression in surviving dogs.