Vets slam state minister’s claim on stray dog numbers

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Veterinarians on Friday (08) refuted claims made by  State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon that there are over six million stray dogs in the country and that they are a menace in some tourist areas.

Association of Veterinarians for Humane Management of Animal Population,  Dr. Chamith Nanayakkara said the state minister grossly exaggerated the stray dog population and that the minister is quoting a number which is not based on any data.

Nanayakkara said policy makers said there are three million monkeys in the country. This is also a made up number, he said.

“There were three million dogs in 2007. This is when the government and several private organizations started a  sterilization drive. As a result of these programs the dog population plummeted and now there are less than 2.1 million dogs in the country. Most of these 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 been systematically controlled and most strays there are vaccinated in the  past six years. Policy makers must refrain from making statements that are not backed by data,” Nanayakkara said.

He added that animal welfare organizations carry out sterilization 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 sterilization programmes,” he said.