Stray dog menace

: NHRC calls for a civil society debate
The National Human Rights Commission has taken cognizance of media reports on the stray dog menace and observed that "prima facie, it is of the view that Human Rights should weigh above animal rights in a situation where human lives are at risk due to attack by animals. However, this calls for a debate by the civil society."
It has also issued notices to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Chief Secretary, Government of NCT of Delhi calling for reports to ascertain their views on the issue as well as on the specific incident wherein a child, aged barely five years, died due to excessive bleeding after attacked by five stray dogs in Jamia Nagar, Delhi on the 4th August, 2015.
The Commission's observations have also come in the light of another media report exposing the futile efforts made by the Municipal Corporations of Delhi to deal with the menace of stray dogs. Reportedly, the Corporations with the help of NGOs, just catch the dogs, sterilize them and drop them back from where they were caught. Allegedly, the Corporations are struggling to do even this job.
The Commission has observed that "while the measure of sterilization may help contain the increase in the dog population, it does not save or shield people from the bites of existing dogs. It looks like a 'Human Rights' versus 'Animal Rights' battle. This is not a problem of Delhi alone. The Commission has come across similar incidents in several other parts of the country. The situation assumes alarming proportions when one links the stray dogs with their contribution to Rabies disease."