December 01, 2023
After implementing a 14-year-long dog management programme, Bhutan has become the first country in the world to vaccinate and sterilise all its stray dogs. More than 1,50,000 stray dogs have been vaccinated and sterilised and approximately 32,000 pet dogs have been micro-chipped under the National Dog Population Management and Rabies Control Project that began in 2009. The project was undertaken with the assistance of the Humane Society International (HSI), a global animal welfare and charity organisation. The project aimed at controlling the stray dog population and stopping the spread of rabies. Through this achievement, Bhutan hopes to inspire other countries to undertake similar humane measures for the management of stray dog populations.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are over 30 million stray dogs in India.
REFLECTION: Doggie Dilemma
Bhutan recently sterilised its stray dogs; explain why this could be bad for the environment.
