Street dogs in Thailand

Management

In the 1990s, more than 200 dogs were euthanized each day. In 2000, however, the Animal Guardians Association campaigned against the practice, which they argued violated Buddhist principles. They launched a sterilization program in Bangkok. The campaign generated substantial public outcry against the euthanasia, and the city adopted a pro-life dog policy.

A regulation has forbidden the feeding of stray dogs in public places.

In September 2005, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration began a program of mandatory registration for dogs. The program was aimed to deter the abandonment of dogs, which could be traced to their owners. Requirements for registration include the implantation of a microchip identifying the owner, rabies vaccination status for dogs less than one year old, and sterilization.

Starting on 4 July 2008, dogs found unregistered may be sent to a dog kennel in the northern province of Uthai Thani and their owners can be fined up to 5,000 baht. Critics of mandatory registration have asserted that it has actually increased the number of strays, as dog owners who do not wish to pay for implementation are abandoning their pets rather than risking fines.

Before prominent events, stray dogs have been rounded up and sent to shelters. This occurred before the 2003 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit meeting, when thousands of dogs were removed from Bangkok and sent to the Livestock Development Department's animal quarantine stations in Phetchaburi and Sa Kaeo Provinces. Stray dogs were again transported from the city in preparation for the king's 2006 anniversary celebration, with efforts focusing on areas near expensive hotels where royal guests stayed. These strays were sent to the kennel in Uthai Thani, where it was planned they would stay until their death.

The Thai cabinet, in October 2018, approved an amendment to the Cruelty Prevention and Welfare of Animal Act, B.E. 2557 (2014). The amendment, initiated by the Department of Livestock Development of the Agriculture Ministry, would require the registration of pets nationwide. The majority of pet owners have accepted the need for registration in principle, but object to the proposed registration fee of 450 baht per animal. Thailand had about 350,000 stray dogs and cats in 2007. By 2017 the number had risen to 860,000. According to the Department of Livestock Development, "If we do nothing, Thailand will have as many as 2 million stray dogs and cats in 2027 and 5 million in 2037."

In popular culture

The 2006 Thai film Kao Niew Moo Ping by Siwaporn Pongsuwan focused on the relationship between a runaway girl and the stray dog she befriends.

In 2007 the film Ma-Mha 4 Ka Krub, also Mid-Road Gang, debuted. It is about a pack of stray dogs in suburban Bangkok who want to cross a busy highway in hopes of finding a better life on the other side of the road. It is the first Thai live-action feature film to portray animal characters in leading roles.

References

References

1. (3 June 2013). "Smugglers drive Thailand's grim trade in dog meat". CNN.
2. (2016-04-23). "Stray dogs set to reach one million". Bangkok Post.
3. (2019-01-29). "Why People are Spending $10,000 on Pet Funerals in Bangkok". Vice.
4. (2016-03-07). "It's a Thai dog's life". Bangkok Post.
5. "Thailand Group Opposes Implanting Microchips in Dogs". Thai Press Reports (May 14, 2008). (Via [[LexisNexis]].){{Dead link. (March 2016)
6. (2007-09-24). "City dogs need registration: BMA". The Nation.
7. (2007-10-13). "Who let the dogs out?". The Nation.
8. (2003-09-23). "Thailand to airlift foreign beggars". BBC News.
9. (2006-06-02). "Stray dogs in Bangkok rounded up". The China Post.
10. (23 October 2018). "The truth about cats and dogs". Bangkok Post.
11. (2006-06-08). "They call it puppy love". South China Morning Post.