Stray Animal Population Control: Methods, Public Health Concern, Ethics, and Animal Welfare Issues

Abstract

Stray animal overpopulation has become one of the most serious global problems with many negative impacts on the community, environment, and public health. Most of the stray animals do not depend on humans for food and shelter, and therefore, can reproduce uncontrollably. The uncontrolled reproduction of stray animals increases their population that leads to a higher chance of predation, road traffic accidents, transmission of zoonotic diseases, and therefore, becoming vectors for some diseases. There are several methods for stray animal population control depending on the situation and the nature of the stray animals. These methods include contraceptives, trap-neuter-return, poisoning, euthanasia, and gun shooting among others. Each of the outlined methods has its advantages and disadvantages as to their practicality, ease of conducting, cost, effectiveness, ethics, and animal welfare issues. In conclusion, to achieve successful control measures of the stray animal population and the problem they create, the concerned authorities need to design and enact animal rights laws, provide medical care (treatment and vaccination), feeding, shelter for the animals, and control their reproduction. Public health and environmental agencies may improve the services by regulating personal and environmental hygiene, prevention, and control of zoonotic and transmissible diseases that can be transmitted from stray animals to the public and other livestock respectively.