Managing stray dog populations humanely requires approaches that address root causes rather than relying on culling programmes that are ineffective and welfare-damaging.
Stray dogs endure chronic welfare challenges: food insecurity, injury from traffic and other dogs, disease, and exposure to weather. Culling programmes add acute suffering to this chronic burden while failing to achieve population control — vacated territories are rapidly recolonised by surviving dogs. Trap-neuter-return programmes, while slow, achieve genuine population stabilisation while allowing dogs to live out their lives. The welfare case for combining sterilisation with rabies vaccination, accessible veterinary care, and community education about responsible dog ownership is strong: it addresses both individual dog welfare and the public health concerns that drive culling pressure.