A recent Supreme Court ruling in India to relocate stray dogs from Delhi to shelter homes evokes memories of a similar incident nearly 150 years ago faced by Paris. The French Revolution of 1789 had paved the way for new governance, and the city was being redeveloped from the ground up.
In the 1880s, under Baron Haussmann’s leadership, Paris underwent sweeping urban renewal focused on public health and sanitation.
Paris, the fashion capital we know today, was once grappling with an unusual crisis. Overrun with dogs and cats, the city was plagued by overwhelming dirt and rabies from dog bites, exacerbated by inadequate medical treatments, leading to many deaths.
Dogs Unleash Chaos in Paris
Vincent era transformed the streets from horse-drawn carriages to motorcars, buses, and trams. But the canine issue persisted. Stray dogs caused traffic mishaps, sparking debates in the municipal council.
Faced with escalating problems, city authorities ordered the removal of stray dogs and roaming cats. This motion, documented in a research paper on jstor.org titled 'STRAY DOGS AND THE MAKING OF MODERN PARIS,' was initially proposed by pharmacist Emile Capron who sought their removal.
While no accounts detail the culling of cats then, it's presumed their removal led to a surge in the rat population.
Maneka Gandhi Cites Paris Example
Indian politician Maneka Gandhi highlighted this historical episode, cautioning against a similar removal in Delhi. She warned, "Without dogs, monkeys will freely roam the streets, currently deterred by canine presence." She recalled the swift decline in Paris in 1880 when the elimination of dogs and cats led to an uninhabitable city, overrun by rats.
Gandhi noted that dogs and cats function as 'rodent control animals,' preventing ecological imbalance.
Rats Run Amok
The absence of dogs took a toll on Paris’s ecology, leading to an explosion in the rat population. Streets that once saw dogs were now overtaken by enormous rats. Recognized as natural controllers, the lack of dogs allowed rats to dominate, choking sewers and creating health hazards. In response, a controlled number of dogs were reintroduced.
This incident highlighted that eradication isn't a sustainable solution nor addresses underlying social issues.
Stray dogs clean cities by consuming leftover food and dead small animals. Scientifically, they help manage organic waste, reducing filth and stench from streets.
Rabies Statistics in India
Government data reveals 3.7 million dog bite incidents in 2024. The WHO suggests India's rabies burden is unclear, although approximately 18,000-20,000 deaths occur annually.
Animal rights activists argue the true number of rabies deaths is unknown.
In contrast, the Indian government reported 54 rabies deaths in 2024, down from 50 in 2023 according to parliament data.
