COVID 19 Relief support program for street feeding of Delhi strays

COVID has not just disrupted human lives, but also of the voiceless animals we share our space with. Earlier the strays had to deal with cruelty cases but now they are also going hungry. Animal cruelty cases have increased due to misconceptions of Covid 19 being spread through stray animals but many pets have also been abandoned for the same reason. There has also been an increase in aggression as the dog’s security of food is threatened. Not only have street vendors, hawkers, restaurant owners and meat shops stoped feeding stray dogs and cats so have the few regular feeders in Delhi. The uncertainty of lockdown, layoffs and pay cuts have left people financially insecure and unstable and has put philanthropy on the back burner due to which the stray animals have been adversely affected.

Friendicoes started street feeding programs much before the lockdown and Covid 19 Initially, we used to feed 300 stray dogs and cats of Netaji Nagar as part of our regular feeding program much before the lockdown but now we also took on the onus of feeding 2700 strays of Delhi as they had no nowhere to go. Despite being short of staff and tending to urgent medical cases, we are continuing with the feeding program. It takes only Rs. 40 to feed one dog/cat. While this amount may seem insignificant to you, it helps a dog/cat get through one more day without going hungry. We would also like to combine the feeding component with sterilisation and ARV (Anti Rabies Vaccination) as Delhi has a stray dog population of 1.9 lacs as reported in a census conducted in 2019. There is a direct relationship between rabies and sterilization. Rabies once contracted there is no cure. India is one of the few countries where rabies is endemic. According to WHO, there are 25,000 - 36,000 reported deaths annually. If the ABC program is carried out resolutely and efficiently then rabies can be phased out eventually. There is a great deal of cruelty simply because of overpopulation of stray animals. Man-animal conflict can be reduced by controlling population of stray animals. Overcrowding of stray animals is the biggest problem leading to man animal conflict especially in public areas. Once we control stray animal population, conflict reduces, aggression reduces and consequently rabies also reduces. In South and Central Delhi there have been no incidents of rabies in last 5-10 years only because of a methodically and efficiently carried out ABC program and annual rabies camps. 

Healthy and well fed strays, lower dog aggression, lesser man-animal conflict, reduced stray dog population and eventual eradication of rabies if conducted in a methodical manner. According to a census conducted in 2019, 1.9 lacs of stray dog population was reported as against the census count of 6.5 lacs in 2006. 4,05,000 meals will be fed to 2700 strays over 5 months and 2700 stray dogs will be sterilised and given ARV by end of December 2020.