Bhutan has become the first country in the world to declare its entire street dog population fully sterilised and vaccinated. The kindom of Bhutan had made a partnership with global animal charity Humane Society International (HSI),in a humane dog management programme.
The Royal Government of Bhutan announced this historic achievement for animal welfare and human health, at the closing ceremony of National Dog Population Management and Rabies Control Project , on October 30, in Thimphu. Prime Minister of Bhutan ,Lotay Tshering supervised the event.
•There are approximately 300 million street dogs across Asia who battle against injuries from road traffic accidents, starvation, untreated diseases and parasitic infections, transmissible cancers,persecution and brutal culling.
•According to a report of the World Health Organization, around 59,000 people a year die of rabies worldwide .and most rabies cases in humans are the result of a dog bite.
That’s why Bhutan aims to rid itself from increasing high population of stray dogs which roam the streets of the capital Thimphu and other cities from day to night.
•Stray dogs have always been a part of Bhutanese life. According to Karma Rinzin, the chief veterinary officer with the Department of Livestock, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Bhutan has about 102,000 dogs. Like many developing nations, Bhutan has faced the problem of how to deal with the overwhelming number of dogs roaming the streets.
•Without effective sterilisation and vaccination programs, street dog populations can increase to unsustainable numbers, that can increase the risk of dog bites and the spread of infections and rabies.
ACTIVITIES
•After recognizing and realising the social and animal welfare issues which is surrounding about street dogs, the Government of Bhutan invited HSI (Humane society international) to begin a humane management approach programme to the country’s huge dog population in 2009.
•Governments across Asia usually support killing street dogs and some countries adopt inhumane way of handling them . Being a Buddhist nation, the government of Bhutan wanted to resort with compassionate way instead of tyranny on these poor dogs.
•People may provide food and water to them , but street dogs do not receive special care they are not allowed to live inside homes .
•HSI has established a pilot spay, neuter and vaccination program for dogs in Thimphu. This initiative was later for all over the nation , becoming the National Dog Population Management and Rabies Control Project for Bhutan.
•HSI trained more than 35 Bhutanese veterinarians and staff in high-volume, high-quality spay or neuter techniques.
Then they started a community engagement initiative to raise public awareness of dog welfare.
•The Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Department of Livestock of the Royal Government of Bhutan and Humane Society International embarked on a first-of-its kind, nationwide neuter and vaccination program throughout the country of Bhutan, targeting more than 50,000 dogs over six years. View a video about our work in Bhutan.
• Human society international has field teams working across Bhutan .each can perform about 20 spay surgeries per day.
•Dogs are released later the same day in the same location from where they were captured.
•the project has successfully sterilised and vaccinated more than 150,000 street dogs and micro-chipped 32,000 pet dogs.
•At the closing of National Dog Population Management and Rabies Control Project ceremony, PM Lotay Tshering presented the achievement of HSI and its support towards Bhutan’s street dog welfare success from the beginning. Then he declared that entire street dog population fully sterilised and vaccinated following years of investment in a humane dog management programme.
In the first few years of the project, more than 30 Bhutanese underwent veterinary training in India.
Keren Nazareth, India’s senior director of companion animals and engagement has worked closely with this program since 2015 . He thinks ,It’s a remarkable achievement.
He said , “This has been a long journey together with constant learning and adjustment, but from the start, the government has been committed which has enabled us to consistently improve the program. We congratulate the people of Bhutan for this extraordinary dog-friendly success which also brings enormous benefits to the local communities.”
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