A Humane Solution to deal with Stray Animals

As I said in the last post, 'Different Countries, Different Problems', I will be writing about problems faced by animals in various countries. I am going to kick-off by writing about one of the problems faced by most countries that deal with stray animals.

There are always two sides to a coin. You need to choose which one you want, or you can take the time and patience to carefully balance the coin, so you have the best of both sides. Everyone knows that stray animals often cause problems (this does not imply that they are bad). Circumstances do not allow animals to survive in a world where people are two busy rushing around earning money to bother about dogs that come in their way. As a result, the whole society gets divided.

One half of society wants these animals out of their way, by any means necessary, while the other (often a minority) is trying to save them from the wrath of the former! Getting stray animals gassed has become common in many countries. In some places animals are simply put into dog pounds and given a deadline... 'either you find a home by xyz date or you're dead'.

Whether you like it or not, this has become a reality in most places where stray animals are present. Is there any other way to deal with the situation?

Yes. There is a logical and humane way. Spray and neuter stray animals. People have no right to kill them, without reason (and saying that they cause a nuisance is not a valid reason, I'm sure most people cause a nuisance to someone or another too, but we can't apply the same rules then can we?).

In places where stray animals are a problem, if one person can take on the responsibility of getting one animal neutered, the problem would be easy to deal with. The Government of such places should step in and subsidise the cost of getting this done.

The Government can also take the initiative and mandate people to get at least one or two animals neutered in a year. That is all it will take to deal with this problem without having to be monsters and throwing animals in gas chambers or should I say torture chambers.

Nothing happens overnight. It will take time for the society to reform, but once the wheel starts turning, it will not be long before this is done! The animals who are neutered can be rehabilitated by animal shelters. With time, this becomes easier.

Corporate offices can also take part in such drives. A large number of companies are focusing on CSR activities. This can be one of the forms of CSR that they take up.

There are a number of things that can be done to solve the problem of stray animals without hurting them! Most of those animals end up becoming stray due to the negligence of some owner. I have seen cases of when a well groomed Alsatian is roaming the streets picking garbage from a dustbin, while he should have been home with his family. His future generations would all end up on the street, and people would not even take a second look at them--because they are 'STRAY'! I don't think that is fair! Do you?

Next article will deal with puppy mills, and how it is linked to homeless animals! Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below!