If there’s one issue that has divided colonies all across Delhi NCR, and put people up in arms against each other, it’s the issue of stray dogs. With the human population exploding and more and more areas being constructed upon, these old friends of humans are struggling harder than ever before for space. To minimize the conflict and protect the rights of the voiceless, The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has framed certain guidelines which are, by law, binding equally upon all authorities & RWAs.
Malibu has also been at the receiving end of this dog-human conflict. Since taking charge, many measures have been taken by the RWA to resolve the issue. Animal Birth Control (ABC) and regularly vaccinating the dogs. Thanks to ABC, no new puppies have been born in the last year. More than 50 community dogs have been sterilized in the last 3 years. 8 more have been sent. Another 2-3 are waiting for their turn.
It will be important to acknowledge the role of the dog-lovers community in keeping the dog population in check. In fact, till the time RWA took over, all expenses for the sterilization and vaccinations were being borne by them. It is also because of the trust in their feeders who are present at the time of catching the dogs, that the NGO catchers manage to get hold of them. It is a popular notion that if they stop feeding the dogs, the dogs will go away. Nothing can be farther from reality. The dogs will not only never leave their territories but also turn extremely aggressive due to hunger. The sick/injured ones, if left untreated, will also behave similarly due to pain. The community, having adopted many strays, also runs pages on social media and has been instrumental in getting a large number of puppies adopted. They even have volunteer photographers who do photo sessions of the dogs to make them look appealing to potential adopters.
Also important to note that till 3 years ago, the periphery of the township was very porous, allowing the wandering dog population to come in and settle. Many dogs were brought in by labourers at under-construction sites and left here once the construction was over. Since a boundary wall was erected, the scope for new dogs coming in has reduced considerably. No new dogs have been spotted in nearly two years.
Since the removal of dogs from their territories is prohibited by law, the RWA, with the support of dog caretakers, have enlisted the help of an NGO called Indielove which runs a boarding & shelter for dogs. Having identified a few aggressive alpha males, the association has decided to keep them at the boarding for three months to reduce their aggression through training and interaction with other, human-friendly dogs so that when they are released back, they have learnt to trust humans.
For Dog’s sake, and humans’ sake also, we hope that this saga has a happy ending. Amen!
Excellent steps taken by RWA. We as residents also need to take up responsibility to not feed them in front of houses and only on designated spots. Also cleanup after the pet dogs.