Managing stray dog populations humanely requires evidence-based approaches that replace mass culling with sustained trap-neuter-return programs and responsible ownership promotion.
Stray dog welfare presents a genuine public health and animal welfare challenge that requires sophisticated, evidence-based solutions. Mass culling — historically the default response — fails on both welfare and effectiveness grounds: it is cruel to individual animals and does not reduce populations because survivors breed more rapidly to fill the vacuum. Sustained trap-neuter-return programs combined with rabies vaccination address both welfare and public health concerns more effectively. Addressing root causes — irresponsible ownership, abandonment, and inadequate veterinary access — is essential for long-term population reduction. Solutions that treat dogs as sentient beings rather than nuisances are more effective as well as more ethical.