An estimated 200 million stray and free-roaming dogs globally create significant animal welfare and public health challenges, with humane population management approaches more effective than mass culling programs.
Free-roaming dogs in low and middle income countries experience significant welfare suffering from malnutrition, injury, disease, and lack of veterinary care. Mass culling programs that have historically been the dominant response cause enormous welfare harm through inhumane killing methods while failing to achieve lasting population reduction as territories are quickly reoccupied. Community-based trap-neuter-vaccinate-return programs that engage local communities and maintain vaccinated sterilized dogs in territories achieve sustainable population reduction with dramatically lower welfare costs.