OOn December 5, 2021, the nonprofit Peepal Farm started a program to feed stray dogs to stray dogs. That’s after seeing dogs left behind due to starvation and brutal winters in the Spiti Valley.
The organization, based in the village of Dhanotu near Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, has been running the ‘Spiti Dog Winter Program’ for the past three months. With this, they raise about 300-400 dogs a day, with the support of 12 local female workers spread across six villages – Chicham, Kibber, Khurik, Rangrik, Ladang and Kaza.
These women, fully supported financially and financially from Peepal Farm, cook more than 50-60 kg of food per day. The program is expected to continue until the end of April 2022, after which they will embark on a sterilization program.
The long, grueling winters, when temperatures drop to -20 to -30 degrees Celsius, have resulted in dogs killing and eating other dogs, as well as the loss of rare animals and wildlife Endangered as the Blue Sheep and Ibex. This, in turn, has led to great human-animal conflict.
Narinder Rana, a resident of Kaza and a watcher of the Peepal farm, regularly feeds the puppies. He recalls, “Back then, people raised livestock a lot. Now they have reduced their number of possessions because dogs started attacking them. There is a lot of wildlife in Spiti. These dogs even hunt Blue Sheep and Ibex. Back in 2014, due to heavy snowfall, Ibex would get stuck in the snow and a pack of dogs would catch them.”
“Last year, after the monsoon in September, Wangchuk Dolma (aka Usha), a resident of Kaza who runs a bakery, visited Peepal farm with his brother Kalzang (resident of Khurik) and son Tenzin. They told us about the terrible plight of these feral dogs and asked if Peepal Farm could do something about the problem. In September, I need to go on vacation. So my wife Shivani and I went to Spiti for the holidays, and also to define the underlying reality of the matter,” said Robin Singh, who co-founded Peepal Farm with Shivani in 2014, India is better.
Arriving there, Robin immediately recognized the problem. After thorough preparation, they started the program for stray dogs in Khurik and Kaza. In Khurik, they hire Kalzang’s wife, Losang, to cook dog food and assist with the feeding program.
Eliminate misconceptions
“Stray dogs do not cause problems during the summer. But in winter, when there is not enough food for them, they will eat each other because of hunger and cold. Dogs also become very irritable during this time and eat whatever they find. If someone opens the door, they also steal food from the house. They also attack livestock. People tell us not to feed the dogs because they bite, but I feel that if we feed them, they won’t bite. If they are fed in winter, then they will be very calm,” Kalzang, in a video shot by the Peepal Farm team.
In Kaza, Chunit Dolma (a local resident) hired six women to start cooking food for the dogs. Following Khurik, the Peepal group proceeds to Rangrik, Ladang, Chicham and finally Kibber, where they hire locals to cook food for the dogs.
“The food we feed our dogs includes snacks. People either donate money to buy big packages from Shimla, or buy the materials themselves and donate to us. These packets are distributed from our farm through visitors, tourists and volunteers to six villages in the Spiti Valley. For example, today, a few travelers are helping us with three large packages, each weighing about 30 kg. Through donations, we are paying the women Rs 3,000 per month. We also pay for cooking gas and packages of locally sourced flour. So far, we have spent around Rs 1.20 lakh on this program,” stated Robin.
With dough arranged by local residents (which Peepal Farm pays for), the recipe is simple. The women knead the dough, mix glitter with it, make dough balls, put them in boiling water and cook. In Kaza, for example, a team of six women divided themselves into groups of two. They store food in traditional baskets and distribute food in their respective areas.
“We had to start by throwing food to feed them because they were afraid of humans. In addition, they are less likely to fight if we feed them separately. Dogs are very territorial, and that’s why you shouldn’t move them. Robin said.
Why keep a feral dog?
Throughout our conversation, Robin expressed her displeasure with the term ‘wild’ being given to these dogs. He believes the term, for lack of a better word, would dehumanize them. “These are frequent stray dogs whose hunger has forced them to act in certain ways,” he said.
He also believes that the dog feeding program is the first step in addressing the problem of hungry feral dogs and increasing animal conflict, which ends with neutering.
“The first idea was to keep them alive. Once they grow friendly, it becomes easier to catch and disinfect them. That is the only way to approach this problem. The notion that feeding these dogs causes more problems is not based on fact. Some people argue that feeding dogs will increase their population. Robin said they misdiagnosed the problem.
He believes the problem begins in the summer when a lot of tourists arrive. Their arrival causes an increase in the food supply due to how much tourists waste. This is the result of the wild dog population explosion. “During the winter, the food supply for these dogs is reduced to zero, and the overpopulation of wild dogs is affected,” he said.
Chasing dogs or letting them starve is not the solution. Robin believes the answer is empathy. “Thanks to our feeding program, where feral dogs were once scared of us, they are now friendly. The second phase of our initiative will be towards disinfecting them, after the villagers sow their wheat,” he said, adding that this will be done in coordination with the government. local rights.
“What is more important is the support of the local people, which we already have. We will provide veterinarians and other equipment for this program. It would be better if we got the support of the local government, but if not, we are progressing one way or another. The problem with government-funded volumes sterilization program is a shoddy post-procedural care for dogs. That’s when you see dogs with gut hangovers following the procedure. Many times, they do not witness the dogs recovering from surgery, and return them to their place immediately. We don’t want to do that,” he said.
(Additional source: Dogs of Spiti – A Hindi short film)
(Edited by Divya Sethu)
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