Every day, almost a certain number of small animals live in the streets, and how to treat and manage these wandering "fur children" has become a topic that every city has to face. It is necessary to not only respect and care for stray animals, but also improve the urban environment and the quality of life of citizens to a certain extent, and achieve the harmonious coexistence of humans and animals, reflecting the wisdom and temperature of the city. Behind this is not only the investment of capital and technology, but also the joint cooperation of the government and the public.
Europe: Laws and regulations that clarify responsibility for institutions are key
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife adopted a 2-year-old black Labrador puppy named Nemo from a stray animal protection agency in Paris, France, in 2017. Nemo, who moved into the Elysee Palace, has become a well-known star dog in France from a stray dog, and photos of the Macron couple and their dog appear from time to time on social media and posters of stray animal protection agencies.
Europeans are paying more attention to the problem of stray animals, improving adoption laws and regulations, increasing the number of shelters, improving shelter conditions... Some loving and effective paths have been explored.
In some European countries, there are strict laws governing the adoption and management of stray animals.
In Belgium, it is mandatory by law for every pet to be microchipped, so that once a stray animal is found, the owner's contact information can be scanned and the stray animal can be sent to the nearest shelter. If no owner comes forward within 15 days, the stray animals are classified as adoptable animals. Belgian law also has severe penalties for pet abandonment, with sentences ranging from one to three months in prison and fines ranging from 52 to 2,000 euros.
In Spain, stray animals are required by law to be chipped and neutered to control the population. Abandonment and cruelty to animals are punishable by heavy fines and imprisonment, and euthanasia of stray animals for non-health reasons is prohibited.
In France, stray animals whose owners cannot be identified within eight days are transferred to shelters, but sterilization is not mandatory. Pet abandonment is punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 45,000 euros.
Other European countries are working to improve conditions in pet shelters. According to the relevant laws and regulations in Germany, pet owners need to pay taxes every year to support the operation of stray animal shelters, which will provide accommodation, rescue and rehabilitation services for stray animals adopted. In Sweden, shelter animals receive 24-hour care and lifelong care, and the city, police and shelter work together to control stray animals.
Japan: A non-governmental organization "Generating electricity with Love" creates a warm home for cats
Non-governmental organizations in Japan are playing an important role in dealing with stray animals.
Mangi Island is a special presence in the Seto Inner Sea of Japan, where the art atmosphere is rich, the number of cats is large, is known as the "cat island", a large number of cat lovers visit every year. However, in recent years, due to overfeeding by tourists, the number of cats on Manmu Island has increased rapidly, causing a certain disturbance to the daily life of residents on the island.
Therefore, a public welfare and civil organization called "Animal Fund" adopted the TNR (Trap capture, Neuter neuter Release) model to control the proliferation of stray cats on the island. TNR is currently the mainstream means of international management of stray cats, that is, to safely capture cats, send them to a regular pet hospital for sterilization and care, and then release them back to the same place, so as to control the breeding of cats and reduce the impact on the ecological and human settlement environment. After the implementation of the TNR operation, the number of stray cats on Nanmu Island has been brought under control to a certain extent.
A wooden townhouse in the heart of Kyoto, Japan, looks and feels not much different from other buildings in the ancient capital. However, when one enters the villa, it turns out that the main "residents" here are various cats looking for a new owner.
It is a stray cat shelter run by the Japan Cat Network (JCN), a non-profit animal rescue organization. JCN usually uses the TNR model as well, but young, injured or sick stray cats are kept in shelters for rehabilitation and care until they are well enough to be adopted by new owners. "One-year-old Simba found an adopter after he recovered from his illness." Susan Roberts, founder of JCN, said: 'He has lovely eyes and a very bubbly personality. I'm not surprised he was chosen.'
Near the stray cat shelter, JCN also operates a cat cafe and a cat hotel. At the door of the cat cafe, the slogan "Drinking coffee with cats" attracts people's attention, and sometimes one or two cats walk to the window, waiting for the love of passers-by. Open the door of the cafe, and immediately there will be a pair of bright and curious eyes, staring at every move of visitors. Soon, drinking coffee with cats at Cat cafes became the perfect way for many cat lovers to spend a weekend afternoon.
"You can see friendly, cute cats in every corner of the cafe, they are rescued stray cats. When you walk in the door, a kitten or two may immediately approach, or even sit on your lap and wait to be petted." "We welcome customers to tease their cats with toys, feed them their favorite foods, and we welcome people to play with these rescued kittens," Roberts said.
Located opposite the shelter and the cafe, the Cat Hotel costs 8,000 to 11,500 yen per night, and you can visit the Cat cafe for free at any time during your stay. Roberts said the proceeds from cafes and hotels are the main source of funds to run shelters and rescue and raise stray cats, and people can also contact the team through the JCN website to donate money and provide supplies for stray cats.
India: Community autonomy for all participants in harmony between humans and animals
The problem of stray animals cannot be solved without the strength of the community.
Baroda, the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat, is filled with towering banyan trees and palaces, traffic flows on the roads and pedestrians walk on the sidewalks. For a long time in the past, there were many stray dogs here, but they were often neglected, plagued by disease and even abused.
In 2017, Humane Society International India actively engaged with the local government in an effort to find a solution to the problem of stray dog management in Baroda city. Humane Society International India has assembled a team of surgical veterinarians, veterinary nurses, animal control officers and animal medicine experts to launch a program to rescue stray dogs. The program aims to control the stray dog population through neutering, improve the health of stray dogs through vaccination, and change the public's perception of stray dogs through community awareness.
This is a stray dog management model that requires multi-party collaboration, emphasizing the combination of professional teams and community participation. While the professional medical team assists the stray dogs, there is also a team composed of community residents responsible for offline communication and mediation with residents who call the complaint phone. The group will also organize community meetings to discuss the comprehensive treatment of stray dogs.
Change is happening. So far, the program has neutered more than 20,000 stray dogs in Baroda, and about 86% of the city's stray dogs have been neutered and vaccinated. Nowadays, newborn stray dogs are rarely seen on the streets of Baroda, and the stray dogs on the streets are safer and healthier than in the past. Meanwhile, Baroda authorities received about 60 per cent fewer dog-related complaints than last year.
The Indian municipal government promulgated the Animal Birth Control Regulations in 2023, which clearly stipulates that stray dogs are "community dogs" and enjoy inalienable feeding rights in both private and public places. This means that local community agencies, volunteers, restaurant operators, etc. are obliged to act as caretakers for stray dogs, providing them with drinking water, food and rescue services in designated areas to ensure their healthy and safe growth. At the same time, the government should allocate sufficient resources to sterilize stray dogs so as to control the number of stray dogs. According to the Mumbai government, the new regulations are aimed at amicably resolving conflicts between humans and dogs, and cruel treatment of stray dogs is not only illegal, but also constitutes a crime.
It requires multi-party cooperation and practical solutions
How to deal with stray "fur children", different cities give different answers according to the local actual situation. It is undeniable that this is a comprehensive problem that requires multi-party cooperation in society to be solved.
Some analysts believe that better treatment and management of stray animals requires joint efforts in several aspects:
First of all, efforts should be made to raise public awareness of this issue. Schools, enterprises and community organizations can jointly organize seminars and extension services to promote animal welfare and popularize relevant knowledge. Social media can also be used to disseminate and share information about local shelter and rescue organizations for stray animals, so as to encourage more people to adopt stray animals.
Secondly, we need to recognize the importance of stray animal shelters and rescue organizations, which need both animal care professionals and volunteer support, as well as social forces to provide relevant materials and funds.
Thirdly, the improvement of relevant laws and regulations can make this issue reach the legal level. By advocating sterilization and more severe punishment for animal abusers, it will help to change the living environment of stray animals and improve the quality of life and civilization of the community.
