Plan to round up millions of dogs sparks 'global health' warning

"This is not just an animal welfare issue, it is a public health issue of international consequence. More than 2,000 experts, including doctors, veterinarians and epidemiologists, have warned that the plan creates the 'perfect storm' for zoonotic outbreaks that could spread beyond national borders, with each shelter potentially housing up to 5,000 stressed and potentially diseased dogs in close quarters."

"Scientists say removing these animals could backfire, as dogs currently act as a 'bio-buffer,' limiting the spread of disease-carrying wildlife such as rats. Forcing them into confined spaces risks accelerating the transmission of infectious diseases while destabilizing urban ecosystems and undoing years of public health progress."

"India's existing policy framework, aligned with guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO), focuses on sterilization and vaccination to control populations while maintaining herd immunity. That approach has led to significant gains, with human rabies cases falling by an estimated 75 percent since 2003."

India's Supreme Court ordered a controversial strategy to confine millions of stray dogs in large-scale mega shelters across Delhi, with facilities housing up to 5,000 animals each. Over 2,000 experts warn this creates conditions for zoonotic disease outbreaks that could spread internationally. India's estimated 15-60 million stray dogs currently act as a biological buffer limiting disease-carrying wildlife spread. Confining them risks accelerating infectious disease transmission and destabilizing urban ecosystems. While high-profile dog attack cases pressure lawmakers for aggressive control measures, scientists argue the existing WHO-aligned sterilization and vaccination approach has reduced human rabies cases by 75 percent since 2003. Removing vaccinated dogs from territories could reverse this progress.

Read at Mail Online