Dr. Mohd. Iqbal, Chief Animal Husbandry Office: It’s been quite a few years since we have faced the problems of stray dog menace in Ladakh. Along with the number of dog bite cases which is around 300 cases in 2023, the number of attacks on cattle is between 500-600. Recently we received the news of the death of an old lady due to a dog attack in Zanskar. 

As we know that waste dumps in the cities have been one of the major concerns. Considering this, direction has been given to municipalities for proper garbage disposal in these areas. There was a meeting with the secretary recently in the presence of all the stakeholders and concerned departments to deliberate on the issue.

If we talk about the sterilization numbers- from 2015 till recently, around 16621 dogs have been sterilized. In coming years with the swift work, more numbers will be added to it. 

As per the request put up by us and also the directions given by LG of Ladakh, it was decided to distribute the tasks among different departments to curb the population of dogs in Leh and Kargil cities. The catching of stray dogs will be done by the Municipal Committee. Sterilization work will be done by the animal husbandry department. In villages, BDOs will do this work whereas sterilization work will be done by our department. 
 
Thirdly it was decided and shortly we will put up the notice that pet dogs have to be vaccinated, need to have collars, and should retrain for taking them on walks in public areas. The most concerning problem is the abandonment of different dog breeds that were brought from outside of Ladakh by people. Many cases of this have been found near Changspa. This will be prohibited from now and police will be deployed to keep a check on this at the airports. A penalty of Rs. 20,000 will be levied if anyone is caught as per directions given by LG Ladakh. 

In addition to that, we have been involved in a program called Mission Mode wherein speedy sterilizations of the dogs have been done. We had two teams last year and significant work has been done by them for this purpose. The total population of dogs is around 25000 approx, considering this total of 10 teams will be organized as per budget, for expeditious work in this regard. This team will work in different blocks of Ladakh to prevent the dumping of dogs in the cities and yet if there are cases as such, these dogs will be properly sterilized. We have brought some changes in Mission mode where, other than the monthly honorarium some amount of money has been set up - for all the workers involved such as Rs. 200 per dog to the catchers, Rs. 120 to nurse, and Rs. 330 to the doctors. This has been working efficiently as we are observing the results of more numbers of operations.

Then again, people need to understand that the effect of this will not be sudden; the decline in numbers will be noticed in the next 3-4 years. For example, if we see less population of puppies compared to earlier years, then we know there is a balance and sterilization programs have been effective.

Awareness in society is of utmost importance. A feeding center should be made by local communities where the dogs will be given leftovers from the houses, with that they can call the departments for the sterilization program as well. A rehabilitation center has been set up in collaboration with Live to rescue.  Aggressive dogs or injured dogs after the treatment are shifted to rehabilitation center of Live to Rescue. Other than that, a center of the same kind will be established at Thiksay after discussions with H.E Thiksay Rinpoche and concerned associations. There are also many private dog lovers organizations such as Chespa who have been tirelessly working for injured dogs and their rehabilitation. 

As per SPCA, it is completely prohibited to kill them, and it is also not a sensible solution. Yes, Euthanasia (painless killing) is a solution but in severe cases where the dog is going from a grave illness from which it cannot heal. 

Awareness campaigns, sterilizations, and penalties as per the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals act (SPCA) will be done. In that regard an animal welfare board will be established very soon in Leh wherein two SPCAs- one in Leh and Kargil will be formed. 

Feral dogs are also becoming major threat to the wildlife.  These dogs are threatening the region’s exotic wildlife species and the most notable among the threatened species is the black-necked crane. The dog eats the eggs of black-necked crane, threatening the future of the species. Himalayan marmots too are falling prey in a big way. To curb all these issues, direction has been given to wildlife departments also to set up a separate budget for this purpose. 

Solutions –

•    Cooperation of society- like establishing feeding centers, timely information to the departments, etc is of utmost importance to curbing the population. 

•    Efficient work by various stakeholders in a constructive and timely manner is the need of the hour- if timely intervention is done it will be easier to tackle this menace.

•    Awareness through various campaigns needed to be done- so that people will have more understanding of the various acts and laws regarding the cruelties of animals.

Dr. Ishey Namgyal, President, Municipal Committee Leh:  As per animal husbandry reports, more than 13000 dogs have been sterilized since 2015 in the MC area.  Compared to past years, we have noticed fewer pups in these areas, which is a sign that sterilization programs have been efficient in the city area. 

Also, there haven’t been many cases of dogs getting dumped in the city from other places, however last year there was a report of a few of them getting dumped in the Skampari/Gangles area which was brought from Nubra. Earlier, army use to dump them in this MC area, but after strict instruction, the cases have dropped significantly.

 In villages, we have heard that the dumping of dogs by an army is still happening. In this regard, if someone notices it, kindly take a picture of the vehicle, and penalties will be imposed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act. 

Rising dog bite cases are one of the major concerns in Ladakh. More than 200 dog bite cases were reported in SNM hospital in February only and there were also some cases of fatal dog attacks causing the death of some people in Ladakh earlier. The major reason for this is- during summers due to tourists, the opening of restaurants/cafes, and school-going children – the leftover food from such sources results in the flourishing of these dogs and fewer dog bite cases. Contrary to this, in winter it is the complete opposite where most of these sources are shut, and in search of food the dog attack cattle as well as humans. Secondly,  teasing the dog or unnecessary provocation also leads to an attack. So one solution we can say is a locality has to decide unanimously to stop feeding them so that they can migrate. Aside from that, proper garbage disposal is indispensable. 

Talking about eliminating dogs at one time is not humane and is not accepted worldwide. The best solution is sterilization- stabilizing their birth. For this purpose, good and efficient resources are essential. There are two breeding seasons for dogs, and in between these two periods, 60-70 % of them must be sterilized. If that happens, the impact will be seen on the ground. Secondly, we talk about the vanishing of dogs after sterilization which is not possible because a dog’s life span is 13-15 years, so even after sterilization, the population will only be seen less after some time. The success of the story lies when you don’t notice many pups at a place. 

Solutions:
•    Correct and basic data is crucial – the total no of dogs and the number of sterilized ones in each ward in cooperation and collaboration with the residents. 
•    Introspection and re-evaluation are also necessary to see the outcome of the work done so far- strategies and new planning if it’s unsuccessful. 
•    Cooperation of the society is necessary – reporting of concerned departments for catching the dogs and their sterilization.