The street dog issue
Why do street dogs exist?
Most free-roaming dogs belong to an ancient canine race known as the Pariah Dog,
which has existed all over Asia and Africa ever since human beings started living in settlements. They are, and have always
been, scavengers–that is, they live on garbage created by humans. In India the breed has existed for perhaps 14,000 years
or more. In addition to scavenging, they are widely kept as pets by rural and urban slum households
Much of the urban street dog population consists of mongrels or mix-breeds–descended from pure-breed dogs who have been allowed
by their owners to interbreed with pariahs
The size of street dog populations always corresponds to the size and character of the human population of the area. Urban India
has two features which create and sustain street dog populations:
1) Large amounts of exposed garbage, which provide an abundant source of food
2) A huge population of slum and street-dwellers, who often keep the dogs as free-roaming pets
Mumbai has over 12 million human residents, of whom over half are slum-dwellers. At least 500 tonnes of garbage remain uncollected
daily. Therefore conditions are perfect for supporting a particularly large population of street dogs
Click to read some frequently asked questions
about street dogs
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