Hundreds of millions of stray dogs live globally, experiencing high mortality, disease, injury, and limited welfare. Evidence-based population management approaches are transforming how communities address this challenge.
The global stray dog population represents an enormous welfare challenge - hundreds of millions of individual animals experiencing short, painful lives characterized by injury, disease, and persecution. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that inhumane traditional control methods - mass poisoning, shooting, and trapping for destruction - are also ineffective at reducing populations long-term, creating a situation where welfare harm occurs at scale for no practical benefit. Evidence-based humane alternatives are available and work; the barriers are political will, funding, and cultural attitudes. International organizations that support countries in adopting humane, effective stray dog management programs deliver welfare benefits for millions of animals.