Vets: Defence State Minister’s claim about stray dogs highly exaggerated

Sri Lankan veterinarians yesterday (08) refuted a claim made by State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon that there were over six million stray dogs in the country and that they had become a menace in some tourist areas.

Association of Veterinarians for Humane Management of Animal Population, Dr. Chamith Nanayakkara, said the State Minister had grossly exaggerated the stray dog population and his claim was not based on reliable data.

Nanayakkara added that policymakers said there were three million monkeys in the country. That was also a made up number, he said.

“There were three million dogs in 2007. This is when the government and several private organisations started a sterilisation drive. As a result of these programmes the dog population plummeted and now there are fewer than 2.1 million dogs in the country. Most of them are not strays,” he said.

“State Minister Bandara says there are 6.2 million strays in the country and this is almost three times more than all the dogs in the country,” Nanayakkara said.

“Just because you see a dog on the road that doesn’t mean he or she is without an owner. In Sri Lanka most dog owners allow their dogs to roam freely. Then there are dogs we consider community dogs. These usually live near religious places of worship, three-wheeler parks and shops,” Nanayakkara said.

“According to our calculation about three percent of the 2.1 million can be considered stray dogs,” he said.

The State Minister’s statement endangers the lives of dogs, Nanayakkara said.

“The State Minister singled out Sigiriya as an area where stray dogs are a menace. However, the dog population in Sigiriya has systematically controlled and most strays there are vaccinated during the past six years. Policymakers must refrain from making statements that are not backed by data,” Nanayakkara said, adding that animal welfare organizations carried out sterilisation surgeries on between 35,000 and 40,000 animals annually. The government, too, has allocated 200 million rupees to control the dog population.

“However, the government has not released funds to continue the sterilisation programmes,” he said. (RK)