How many dogs in India?

[Guest guest]

The following numbers provide a statistically plausible means

of updating the best available estimates of the total numbers of dogs

in India, both pets and street dogs:

 

 

 

The Deccan Herald Friday, June 22, 2007

 

Woman attacked by stray dogs

 

[EXCERPT]

 

Meanwhile, the BBMP, which took up dog census in

association with Bangalore City Saksharata Samithi and

Department of Animal Husbandry, has completed counting

of 49,283 dogs here.

 

According to facts available up to June 18, members of

literacy committees have covered 3.24,139 houses.

Among the dogs counted, 24,491 are street dogs and

17,480 pet dogs.

 

 

 

The number of households surveyed is much less important than

the number of humans in each household.

 

According to the 2001 Census of India, the mean number of

humans per household is 5.3. Thus there are approximately 225

million Indian households. The Bangalore survey covered one Indian

household in 700.

 

This would mean that if Bangalore is a typical Indian city,

there are now 34.5 million dogs in India, just about half the U.S.

total, of whom 17 million are street dogs, about 12 million are pet

dogs, and 5.5 million are in other categories.

 

However, Bangalore is not a typical Indian city. Indeed,

the present furor over dog attacks in Bangalore reflects the relative

rarity of such incidents there, which in turn makes relatively

ordinary occurrences inordinately shocking.

 

Bangalore, according to the data hurled about by the people

who are most critical of the Bangalore ABC programs, actually has

about 75% fewer dog attacks per 1,000 citizens than the Indian norm.

 

This may mean that Bangalore has 75% fewer dogs.

 

If that is the case, the figure projected from Bangalore

should be multiplied by four. This would project 138 million dogs,

including 68 million street dogs and 48 million pet dogs.

 

However, this does not take into account that sterilized

dogs are less likely to bite.

 

More likely, Bangalore has only about half the average

number of dogs per 1,000 people as the whole of India, which would

mean that India now has about 70 million dogs, almost the same as

the U.S., including about 34 million street dogs, 24 million pet

dogs, and 11 million " others. "

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

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Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

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