NAINITAL—A survey carried out by Humane Society International/India and Nagar Palika Parishad, Nainital to estimate the sterilized population of street dogs in Nainital in June 2020 and August 2020 shows that 97.91% of street dogs are sterilized and vaccinated across all 15 wards of the city.
This survey follows a three-year Animal Birth Control program by HSI/India which began in Nainital in April 2017. The main objectives of the program were to control the street dog population, reduce human-dog conflicts and improve the welfare of street dogs. Till now, of the 1,567 dogs, there are 1,032 female dogs and 535 male dogs who have been successfully sterilized and vaccinated.
Dr. Amit Chaudhari, HSI/India’s senior program manager for monitoring and evaluation, says, “Nainital is slightly different for dog population dynamics as the owned dog population is very high. Almost 50% of dog owners allow their dogs to roam on the street. We have recommended to the local administration that they undertake activities to register and increase engagement with pet owners to create a more effective and responsible eco-system, which will not contribute to an increase in street dogs again.”
Key survey insights and recommendations:
- A Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice survey across Nainital was conducted in July 2017 and showed that there was a 2,155 strong pet dog population of which 42.6% were sterilized.
- In October 2018 during the breeding season, 6% of female dogs were lactating, which declined to 3.4% in October 2019. During non-breeding season in May, the percentage of lactating females reduced significantly from 6.7% in May 2017 to 1.5% in June 2020.
- The estimated owned dog population is high compared to the estimated free roaming dog population.
- HSI/India recommends sterilization to private dogs and establishment of an effective pet registration system for Nainital which would make sterilization and vaccination mandatory for owned dogs and provide a management tool for the municipality.
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Media Contact: Uma Biswas: ubiswas@hsi.org; +91-8758807223
