The Kathmandu Metropolitan City on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Humane Society International and The Jane Goodall Institute for the management of stray dogs in the Capital.

As per the three-year deal, according to the KMC, a string of programmes will be 

conducted in the metropolis to study ways to minimise the population of stray dogs and their impact on urban health and environment. 

The KMC is currently conducting a census of stray dogs in the Capital.

Managing Director of Kathmandu Model Veterinary Hospital Dinesh Shahi said that his research has found that there are around 300,000 pet dogs in Kathmandu district and 150,000 more are on the streets. “They end up there after being let off by their owners,” he said. 

The KMC has allocated a budget of Rs35 million for this fiscal year under the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Dog Management Programme. Under the programme, the KMC plans to vaccinate the dogs against rabies and make them sterile by neutering dogs and spaying bitches. The metropolis has already made it mandatory for pet owners to register their dogs for effective implementation of the programme.

Executive director of The Jane Goodall Institute Nepal Manoj Gautam said that advocacy for drafting policies 

for keeping dogs and awareness programmes would be carried out during the programme duration. Nepal and Bangladesh Programme Manager for Humane Society International Sarah Vallentine said that developmental and environmental aspects will be considered while managing street dogs. “Dogs in the streets survive on thrown-out food. Due to harsh treatment of humans, they tend to be aggressive,” Vallentine said. “And due to their closeness to people, they are also highly likely to transmit diseases.”

A Department of Health Services report suggest close to 2,000 people are bitten by dogs in Kathmandu district each year. Of around 40,000 people who take anti-rabies vaccine each year, more 

than 96 percent cases being dog bites.