The Kingdom of Bhutan has become the first country in the world to declare that its entire street dog population is fully sterilized and vaccinated, following years of investment in a humane dog management program with global animal welfare organization Humane Society International (HSI).
The Royal Government of Bhutan announced the historic achievement for animal welfare and human health at the formal closing ceremony of the National Dog Population Management and Rabies Control Project in the capital, Thimphu, presided over by Bhutan’s Prime Minister, Dr. Lotay Tshering.
At the ceremony, Prime Minister Tshering presented HSI with a plaque in recognition of what he called HSI’s “consistent and unwavering support” for Bhutan’s street dog welfare success from its inception in 2009 until its closure – honoring a decade and a half of intensive, targeted spay/neuter and community engagement initiatives undertaken by Bhutan in partnership with HSI.
Since its inception, the project has successfully sterilized and vaccinated more than 150,000 street dogs and microchipped 32,000 pet dogs.
There are an estimated 300 million street dogs in Asia who struggle with starvation, untreated diseases, parasitic infections, communicable cancers, injuries from traffic accidents, as well as direct persecution and inhumane culling.
Without effective sterilization and vaccination programs, street dog populations can grow to unsustainable levels, increasing the risk of dog bites and the spread of rabies. The World Health Organization estimates that rabies kills approximately 59,000 people worldwide each year, and most human cases of rabies are the result of a dog bite.
Governments across Asia routinely resort to inhumane methods of street dog management, including culling and mass killing.
In 2009, recognizing the social and animal welfare issues surrounding street dogs, the government of Bhutan invited HSI to facilitate a humane approach to managing the country’s large dog population. HSI implemented a pilot spay/neuter and vaccination program for dogs in the capital city. This initiative was later expanded nationwide and eventually became the National Dog Population Management and Rabies Control Project for Bhutan.
Following the successful pilot, HSI trained more than 35 Bhutanese veterinarians and staff in high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter techniques, and integrated a community engagement initiative into the program to increase public awareness of dog welfare and reduce human-dog conflict.
At the closing ceremony, Prime Minister Tshering congratulated representatives including de-suups (community volunteers) from all dzongkhags (districts) of Bhutan for their success in trapping, sterilizing and vaccinating street dogs. Prime Minister Tshering said, “This may seem like a small step, but it will go a long way in nation building. The program got this boost thanks to His Majesty’s direction. It would not have been possible without the thousands of de-suups. This is a historic gathering, not just for the nation, but for the world.”
“HSI could not have found a more committed partner in humane street dog management than the Royal Government of Bhutan,” said Keren Nazareth, HSI/India’s senior director of companion animals and engagement, who has worked closely with the Bhutan program since 2015. “This has been a long journey together, with constant learning and adjustments, but the government has been engaged from the beginning, which has allowed us to continually improve the program.
We congratulate the people of Bhutan on this extraordinary dog-friendly success, which also brings tremendous benefits to the local communities.”
“It is a remarkable achievement that we hope will point the way forward for governments across Asia who also face the challenges of street dogs. There is much to learn from Bhutan, including its determination and compassion to create a more peaceful coexistence for people and dogs,” Nazareth added.
