Globally there are an estimated 500 million dogs, of which approximately 80% are stray or unwanted.  A similar number of cats are also without a home.

WSPA is working to solve the stray dog problem by providing practical, humane solutions, and we are getting real results - watch our video to find out more:

WSPA aims to reduce the number of stray animals and combat inhumane treatment through its Stray Control projects.  We also assist stray animals in the wake of disasters.

Through fear of rabies, and with a lack of knowledge and resources, some communities use cruel and ineffective methods of population control like poisoning, electrocution and drowning.

What are the welfare issues for stray animals?

• Typically, the suffering of strays stems from starvation, disease, traffic accidents, aggressive encounters with other animals and abusive treatment from humans.
• Over-population is likely to result in unhealthy, hungry and aggressive animals that can be a severe nuisance and threaten public health.
• Governmental stray control programs may be brutal and based on inhumane methods of killing.

Your support has assisted WSPA with many projects, including:

• Animal birth control projects in India and Nepal that aim to decrease the stray population through sterilization. Measures to protect both dogs and humans against rabies through vaccination are also in place.
• Supporting and guiding a government run project in Zanzibar that aims to get rid of rabies and control stray populations in a humane way.
• Providing equipment and training to a state run project in Mexico that offers veterinary, medical and dentistry services through a 'caravan' of mobile veterinary clinics.
• Providing equipment and training to some of the first humane stray control programs ever developed in the Middle East.
• Delivering training to local authorities in Brazil and Colombia on responsible pet ownership and the humane catching and handling of dogs.
• In Kathmandu we are supporting member society the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre's (KAT) animal birth control program that has already saved thousands of dogs.
• Providing funding, materials and education to First Nations communities in Alberta, Canada to encourage sterilization, pet respect, and healthcare that will reduce the stray population.

You can help us stop this suffering.  With your support now we can continue bringing desperately needed veterinary care, spay and neuter services, and aid to tens of thousands of strays and create permanent changes in the way dogs are treated.

Suffering in Slums: The global stray dog problem >>

Download the WSPA education flier on rabies >>

Read more about our work for companion animals >>