NEWS & OPINIONS
Stray Dog Attacks in India: Understanding the Human-Dog Conflict
What has caused the recent surge in stray dog attacks in India? Canine expert & ex-animal welfare officer Shivani Sharma sheds light on the matter.
Table of contents
“Dogs”, the word just elicits a different kind of feeling, the one that makes us feel so good (well, most of us). People say that a dog is a man’s best friend. Archaeologists have found evidence of dogs and homo sapiens evolving together. They foraged, hunted, wandered, and even fought wars together. The human–dog bond has been celebrated for aeons now, where dogs have earned an important and much-appreciated place in our hearts, showing unconditional love and support in the human livelihood.
We all know that dogs have evolved from wolves, and this fact was followed by multiple studies in the past that have traced their domestication. It was seen that the dawn of agriculture heavily influenced their domestication. Aside from being faithful companions, they also became important cultural figures. This then led to the study of the human-dog relationship because of its unique nature. It was when humans first started living in groups and the inclusion of dogs in these groups happened that hinted at a symbiotic, mutualistic relationship between the two species. So, what went wrong?
Today, centuries ahead of those times, we are experiencing what one can call, man–animal conflict and to our dismay, it’s not just the wild ones but our very own community dogs as well.
We find it extremely upsetting and alarming to see multiple cases being reported, but what feels worse is to see the lack of intention to find out what’s causing them.
No matter the history of domestication, dogs have always learned to adjust to human needs and lifestyles. All the way from the countryside to the city side, dogs are seen to coexist beautifully around other species with great control over their natural instincts and overall behaviour. The genetic material that is being passed on from one litter to another is only giving rise to stray dogs who are more and more human friendly along with being well socialized and habituated to urban-city life.
But if we were to try and understand, what caused these well-adjusted dogs to bite humans, here are some of the possible reasons behind such attacks.
We all know that dogs have evolved from wolves, and this fact was followed by multiple studies in the past that have traced their domestication. It was seen that the dawn of agriculture heavily influenced their domestication. Aside from being faithful companions, they also became important cultural figures. This then led to the study of the human-dog relationship because of its unique nature. It was when humans first started living in groups and the inclusion of dogs in these groups happened that hinted at a symbiotic, mutualistic relationship between the two species. So, what went wrong?
Today, centuries ahead of those times, we are experiencing what one can call, man–animal conflict and to our dismay, it’s not just the wild ones but our very own community dogs as well.
We find it extremely upsetting and alarming to see multiple cases being reported, but what feels worse is to see the lack of intention to find out what’s causing them.
No matter the history of domestication, dogs have always learned to adjust to human needs and lifestyles. All the way from the countryside to the city side, dogs are seen to coexist beautifully around other species with great control over their natural instincts and overall behaviour. The genetic material that is being passed on from one litter to another is only giving rise to stray dogs who are more and more human friendly along with being well socialized and habituated to urban-city life.
But if we were to try and understand, what caused these well-adjusted dogs to bite humans, here are some of the possible reasons behind such attacks.
Fear
Over the last couple of years, our country is witnessing a surge in human population numbers. With the increase in the human population came an increase in urban activities and the need for human settlement, commanding area and territory as their economic support base. Increased activities meant more commotion and an increased need for resources like land, water, human labour, etc. Man began to compete with man.
In an ideal setup, the stray dog population would have had their share of resources, shared with man. The second most ideal setup would have been a systematic and compassionate way to manage the stray population by sterilizing and releasing them back in the same area, to ensure that the numbers declined naturally.
Unfortunately, for the longest time, neither of the two happened. What began to happen was that our stray dogs were being relocated and displaced from their territories to areas where their survival got harder. These relocations made dogs more and more vary of humans, having to constantly live in fear for their packs, their territories, etc. This lack of trust between man and dog unwillingly resulted in bites that were reactions to human invasion, purely out of self-defence. What these attacks further saw was an increase in human hostility towards these resident animals. Canine ethologists, who have been studying stray dogs for years, could deduce that a hostile environment overwhelmed these dogs to a point where they could no longer trust humans for basic survival. This fear was then passed on from one generation of dogs to another, and it went on. The generation of dogs that took birth away from human population grew up to have next to no socialization* around humans and found it difficult to get comfortable with them. Hence, a mix of mistreatment and neglect at the hands of people along with multiple overlooked signs to avoid confrontation & conflict eventually compelled them to attack.
In an ideal setup, the stray dog population would have had their share of resources, shared with man. The second most ideal setup would have been a systematic and compassionate way to manage the stray population by sterilizing and releasing them back in the same area, to ensure that the numbers declined naturally.
Unfortunately, for the longest time, neither of the two happened. What began to happen was that our stray dogs were being relocated and displaced from their territories to areas where their survival got harder. These relocations made dogs more and more vary of humans, having to constantly live in fear for their packs, their territories, etc. This lack of trust between man and dog unwillingly resulted in bites that were reactions to human invasion, purely out of self-defence. What these attacks further saw was an increase in human hostility towards these resident animals. Canine ethologists, who have been studying stray dogs for years, could deduce that a hostile environment overwhelmed these dogs to a point where they could no longer trust humans for basic survival. This fear was then passed on from one generation of dogs to another, and it went on. The generation of dogs that took birth away from human population grew up to have next to no socialization* around humans and found it difficult to get comfortable with them. Hence, a mix of mistreatment and neglect at the hands of people along with multiple overlooked signs to avoid confrontation & conflict eventually compelled them to attack.
Hunger
After a secure territory to take shelter in, the most important resource for a stray dog is food. As scavengers, stray dogs primarily survive on discarded human food. However, due to the rise in sanitation programs in the country, finding dumps to scavenge in has become difficult. This has led to most of them going through long periods without food, driving them to instinctually be more protective about their resources, especially in the presence of other animals.
The beautiful practice of sharing food from your kitchen with community dogs was brought to the cities, as village dwellers moved to cities. Thus began the practice of kind Samaritans making up for the lack of garbage dumps by volunteering to feed packs of dogs in their neighbourhoods. With fuller stomachs, the dogs were seen to be in better health and well-rested, existing more harmoniously with other animals around them. Food also bridged a bond of trust and comfort with humans.
Unfortunately, soon enough, the act of feeding stray dogs began to receive resistance and opposition, creating unrest in well-settled packs of dogs. A lot of vets throughout the country also confirmed that the inadequate quantity of food available was one of the reasons for the increase in dog attacks on humans. The lack of food for the entire pack with no dumps to scavenge from became a factor of stress, causing dogs to react out of sheer desperation.
The beautiful practice of sharing food from your kitchen with community dogs was brought to the cities, as village dwellers moved to cities. Thus began the practice of kind Samaritans making up for the lack of garbage dumps by volunteering to feed packs of dogs in their neighbourhoods. With fuller stomachs, the dogs were seen to be in better health and well-rested, existing more harmoniously with other animals around them. Food also bridged a bond of trust and comfort with humans.
Unfortunately, soon enough, the act of feeding stray dogs began to receive resistance and opposition, creating unrest in well-settled packs of dogs. A lot of vets throughout the country also confirmed that the inadequate quantity of food available was one of the reasons for the increase in dog attacks on humans. The lack of food for the entire pack with no dumps to scavenge from became a factor of stress, causing dogs to react out of sheer desperation.
Other factors
With one female dog giving birth to up to 20 puppies in a year, the number of packs of stray dogs in the crowded urban setting has increased significantly- as has the mortality rate. Speeding bikes or cars are one of the most common reasons observed for canine mortality, leading to an instinctual dislike towards vehicles in these dogs. This has led to tension and aggression between dogs and humans. Protective mothers, again, due to lack of trust are forced to attack to save their puppies from potential threats i.e., us humans.
With rabies being endemic in our country, we are bound to come across cases of dog bites occurring due to rabies. At the same time, we’d like to compliment the municipal bodies throughout the country for their aggressive anti-rabies programs, where they have successfully ensured most of the local stray dogs are vaccinated against rabies, bringing the bite and death toll to less than 36%, and we can only see it get lower to a point of zero bites or deaths due to rabies.
In the end, the ultimate solution to this damaged relationship between man and dog seems to lie in a vigorous and successful implementation of the Animal Birth Control Programs (ABC) which can help reduce the street dog population significantly, and consequently, the scope for conflictual situations arising between them and us, humans. On a ground level, feeding and taking care of community dogs should be encouraged, simply because well-fed and contented canines are less likely to be agitated and aggressive. Community feeders, also have a pivotal role in socializing street dogs to humans, helping in their capture for ABC programs.
It’s a world for all, about time we live together in harmony!
With rabies being endemic in our country, we are bound to come across cases of dog bites occurring due to rabies. At the same time, we’d like to compliment the municipal bodies throughout the country for their aggressive anti-rabies programs, where they have successfully ensured most of the local stray dogs are vaccinated against rabies, bringing the bite and death toll to less than 36%, and we can only see it get lower to a point of zero bites or deaths due to rabies.
In the end, the ultimate solution to this damaged relationship between man and dog seems to lie in a vigorous and successful implementation of the Animal Birth Control Programs (ABC) which can help reduce the street dog population significantly, and consequently, the scope for conflictual situations arising between them and us, humans. On a ground level, feeding and taking care of community dogs should be encouraged, simply because well-fed and contented canines are less likely to be agitated and aggressive. Community feeders, also have a pivotal role in socializing street dogs to humans, helping in their capture for ABC programs.
It’s a world for all, about time we live together in harmony!
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