Stray dog population demographics in Jodhpur, India following a population control/rabies vaccination program

doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2010.07.009

Preventive Veterinary Medicine

Volume 97, Issue 1, 1 October 2010, Pages 51-57

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2010.07.009 Get rights and content

Abstract

Animal Birth Control (ABC) is a program by which stray dogs are sterilized and vaccinated against rabies with the aim of controlling both dog population size and rabies. Population size and demographics of stray dogs were measured before and after implementation of an ABC program in Jodhpur, India. Dog population size declined (p < 0.05) in three of five areas surveyed, showed a decreasing trend (p > 0.05) in 1 area, and remained stable in 1 area between 2005 and 2007. By 2007, 61.8–86.5% of the free-roaming dog population was surgically sterilized and vaccinated for rabies in the areas surveyed.

In March–May, 2007, adults comprised 80–96% of the free-roaming dog population, while subadults and puppies comprised 0–18 and 0–4%, respectively. The male:female ratio among dogs > 3 months old was 1.4:1. A population demographic model predicted that at the current level of sterilization/rabies vaccination, vaccination coverage would remain above 70%, and the dog population would decrease by 69% reaching stability after 13–18 years. A surgical sterilization coverage under 40% would maintain the dog population at current levels.

Introduction

More than 20,000 people die of rabies every year in India, and the majority of victims acquire the disease from the bite of a rabid stray dog (Sudarshan et al., 2007). Animal Birth Control (ABC) is a dog population control strategy by which stray dogs are captured, sterilized, vaccinated against rabies, and released at their point of capture (Reece et al., 2008). ABC has been adopted in many countries including India (Reece et al., 2008, Bogel and Hoyte, 1990). However, little peer-reviewed data exist in the literature assessing the impact of ABC programs on stray dog population size and demographics.

Information on human rabies in the city of Jodhpur, India is scant and incomplete (Dr. Suresh Maheshwari, Professor and Head of the Sampurnanand Medical College in Jodhpur, pers. comm.). The Sampurnanand Medical College in Jodhpur diagnoses an estimated ten human rabies cases annually (Dr. Suresh Maheshwari, pers. comm., February 24th, 2005). This figure may well underestimate the true incidence of human rabies in Jodhpur as most people who contract the disease in India do not go to hospital for treatment or formal diagnosis, preferring to die at home since there is no treatment (Roy, 1962).

Although the incidence of dog rabies in Jodhpur is unknown it is likely higher than the rabies incidence in humans (Dr. M.S. Rathore, Deputy Director of Government Veterinary Hospital, Jodhpur, pers. comm., 2006). Because there is no requirement or agency for reporting the disease, the majority of dogs with rabies in Jodhpur are not brought to the local government veterinary hospital but are killed by community members without being reported (Dr. M.S. Rathore, pers. comm., February 2006).

The objectives of this study were: (1) to estimate the age and gender demographics of the stray dog population in the city of Jodhpur, India, (2) to estimate the proportion of stray dogs sterilized and vaccinated for rabies through Jodhpur's ABC program, (3) to estimate the current impact of the ABC program on stray dog population size in Jodhpur, and (4) to predict the long-term impact of ABC on dog population demographics in Jodhpur.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

The experimental unit was the stray dog, defined as a dog that is allowed to roam on public property in a completely unrestricted or semi-restricted manner, including those dogs which have a reference household or person(s) from whom they obtain food and/or shelter. All dogs used in this study were obtained from the streets of Jodhpur. All dogs in Jodhpur were eligible for this study, with the following exceptions: chained, leashed, confined, and/or collared dogs and puppies (dogs ≤ 3 months old)

Stray dog population demographics

According to the graphical test, the assumptions of the Schumacher Estimate were violated in Area 1, as the graphs of the mark-recapture data did not produce a line moving upward toward the right (Fig. 1, Fig. 2) so the data from Area 1 were dropped. The number of stray dogs (>3 months old) and the percentage of dogs notched in each of the remaining 5 areas in 2005 and 2007 are shown in Table 2. Dog population size declined significantly (p < 0.05) between 2005 and 2007 in Areas 3, 4 and 6. Area

Rabies vaccination coverage

Empirical data from a number of studies in the United States indicates that dog rabies will be eliminated if 80% of the dog population ≥ 4 months of age are vaccinated (70% of the total dog population) (Beran, 1991) though the necessary level of coverage is likely to vary with disease transmission dynamics, population demographics, behavioral and spatial characteristics of the dog population (WHO, 2004). Coleman and Dye (1996) created a theoretical model that predicted that vaccinating at least

Conclusion

Because the Jodhpur ABC program was launched in 2004, its full impact on the dog population is likely still to be realized. The results of this study showed a promising decline in the dog population after implementation of an ABC program. In addition, the observed data indicate that the target 70% vaccination coverage required for the elimination of rabies from this population is achievable.

Acknowledgements

The Marwar Animal Protection Trust (http://www.marwartrust.org) funded this study with assistance from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), and Humane Society International. Sarah Totton received stipend support through an Ontario Veterinary College Ph.D. Fellowship and a University Graduate Scholarship. We thank Gobind Ram, and Chandra Kant Mishra for technical support. We thank Anne Valliant, Dr. Zvonimir Poljak, and William Sears for statistical support. We thank Federico

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Citation Excerpt :
This population decrease was less than that observed in studies with comparable neuter coverage: a 28% population decline was observed in Jaipur by Reece and Chawla (2006) over a five-year period; and a 27.7–52.2% decline was observed in some areas in Jodhpur by Totton et al. (2010), over a two-year period. However, Totton et al. (2010) also describe two areas with comparable neuter coverage that showed no significant population decline, illustrating the complexity of population dynamics and localised variation in the impacts of neutering campaigns. The substantial decrease in the number of neutered dogs at the start of each campaign season in this study population suggests high mortality or outward migration of neutered dogs and indicates that without continued efforts, the effect of neuter and vaccination campaigns will rapidly decline.
Rabies causes approximately 20,000 human deaths in India each year. Nearly all of these occur following dog bites. Large-scale, high-coverage dog rabies vaccination campaigns are the cornerstone of rabies elimination strategies in both human and dog populations, although this is particularly challenging to achieve in India as a large proportion of the dog population are free-roaming and unowned. Further, little is known about free-roaming dog ecology in India which makes defining optimum vaccination strategies difficult. In this study, data collected using a mobile phone application during three annual mass vaccination and neutering (surgical sterilisation of both males and females) campaigns of free-roaming dogs in Ranchi, India (during which a total of 43,847 vaccinations, 26,213 neuter surgeries and 28,172 re-sight observations were made) were interrogated, using two novel approaches to estimate the proportion of neutered dogs that were lost from the city (assumed due to mortality or migration) between campaign years. Analysis revealed high losses of neutered dogs each year, ranging from 25.3% (28.2–22.8) to 55.8% (57.0–54.6). We also estimated that the total population declined by 12.58% (9.89–15.03) over the three-year period. This demonstrates that there is a high turnover of free-roaming dogs and that despite neutering a large number of dogs in an annual sterilisation campaign, the decline in population size was modest over a three-year time period. These findings have significant implications for the planning of rabies vaccination campaigns and population management programmes as well as highlighting the need for further research into the demographics of free-roaming, unowned dogs in India.

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Preventive Veterinary Medicine

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Stray dog population demographics

Rabies vaccination coverage

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

References (19)

Immunization coverage required to prevent outbreaks of dog rabies

Vaccine

The social organization of free-ranging urban dogs. I. Non-estrus social behavior

Appl. Anim. Ethol.

Some aspects of the sexual behaviour of stray dogs, Canis familiaris

Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.

Assessing the burden of human rabies in India: results of a national multi-center epidemiological survey

Int. J. Infect. Dis.

Urban rabies

Domestic animal rabies control: an overview

Rev. Infect. Dis.

Guidelines for Dog Population Management

Analysis of Vertebrate Populations

Population and social biology of free-ranging dogs, Canis familiaris

J. Mammal.

Cited by (135)

Capturing free-roaming dogs for sterilisation: A multi-site study in Goa, India

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Cost analysis of implementation of a population level rabies control programme for children in India

Spatial and temporal activity patterns of owned, free-roaming dogs in coastal eastern Australia

Free-roaming dog population dynamics in Ranchi, India