Sterilise, don't kill stray dogs, say animal rights activists

Highlight weak implementation of rabies control programme

KARACHI:

Amid a sharp rise in dog-bite incidents across the city, experts and animal rights activists have urged authorities to adopt sterilisation programmes as a scientific and humane solution to control the growing stray dog population, rejecting culling as unethical and ineffective.

The call was made at a joint press conference organised by animal welfare organisations under the banner of the "Rabies Bhagao, Sab Ko Bachao" movement. Speakers included Karachi Animal Humane Union founder Shermeen Farooqi, Casper's Ark Foundation founder Ayesha Bint Rashid, Jankar Animal Ambulance founder Shahana Affendi, and Clifton Defence Community President Abdul Rehman, among others.

Shermeen Farooqi said government institutions continued to rely on outdated methods such as poisoning and culling, which had repeatedly failed and instead contributed to an increase in the stray dog population. She stressed that the objective was not to allow unchecked growth, but to control numbers through spay and neuter programmes, warning that the rising population posed serious risks of rabies to citizens while exposing animals to extreme cruelty.

Ayesha Bint Rashid recalled the Rabies Control Programme launched under KMC in 2008 explicitly ruled out killing dogs and focused on sterilisation. She said sterilised dogs became less aggressive. However, she added, authorities later resumed culling after identification collars were removed by members of the public.

Both speakers expressed concern over the lack of official response to repeated letters sent to the chief minister, chief secretary, provincial ministers and the city mayor regarding implementation of the spay/neuter programme. Abdul Rehman said the organisations were not seeking government funding but offering technical cooperation. He also called for legal action against those involved in killing dogs and for a comprehensive policy on dog-bite cases.