Special initiative taken to manage stray dogs on St. Martin's Island

The government has taken up a special initiative to manage the dog population on St. Martin's Island as part of a broader effort to protect the island's fragile environment and biodiversity, particularly its endangered marine turtles.

St. Martin's is the only coral island in Bangladesh, situated in the northeast part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula. Known for its natural beauty, including coral reefs, clear waters, and rich marine life, the island, also rich in diverse flora and fauna, is home to about 7,000 stray dogs.

Tourists in St. Martin are often terrified of the large population of stray and sometimes aggressive dogs that roam around the beach and local areas.

On the other hand, marine turtles that come to lay eggs on the beach also get killed by the stray dogs at various times.

The government's master plan taken recently to manage the stray dogs in order to protect the island's fragile ecosystem and endangered marine turtles has been applauded by various quarters concerned.

However, controversies have also arisen over the legal and ethical basis of the decision to sterilise, cull and relocate all stray dogs on the island.

The draft of the master plan prepared to ensure environmental protection through sustainable management of stray dogs on Saint Martin's Island has been made public.

Last Monday, the plan was unveiled on the notice board of the web portal of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The parties concerned have been asked to give their opinions in writing by December 20.

Earlier, on January 22 this year, Syeda Rizwana Hassan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, had said that a master plan would be formulated to preserve and develop the island's environment and biodiversity and that work would be done in coordination with the government and non-government organisations.

She also said that a target had been set to make all female dogs infertile by 2026 and to complete sterilisation of 100 per cent dogs on the island by 2030.

Regarding the draft master plan, Dr Fahmida Khanam, additional secretary (Environment Division) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said that Saint Martin has many rare species of biodiversity. It is the responsibility of the state to protect this biodiversity. A draft master plan has been prepared. Anyone concerned can give their opinion on this matter. The master plan will be finalised based on the opinions.

In the draft master plan, 26 projects have been undertaken to protect the biodiversity of St. Martin. The estimated cost of these projects is Tk 547.9 billion.

The draft dog sterilisation programme states that St. Martin is the only coral island in Bangladesh. It is estimated that there are about 3,300 to 4,500 ferret dogs on the island. Of them, about 27 per cent of the dogs have been sterilised so far.

The master plan highlights the problem of dogs on the island. Regarding the public health risk, it is said that both locals and tourists are bitten by dogs. This poses a risk of spreading various diseases including rabies. People find it difficult to move around normally due to panic.

Referring to the issue of damage to the environment and biodiversity, it is said that these dogs attack turtle eggs and babies. The balance of the island's natural wildlife and ecosystem is being destroyed.

Regarding the animal welfare crisis, it is said that when there is no tourist season, the dogs suffer from hunger due to lack of food. Many dogs are infected with diseases, get injured and suffer from malnutrition.

Referring to the impact of dogs on the social and tourism sector, it is said that they spread panic among tourists, which is negative for the island's tourism sector. The daily lives of locals are disrupted.

Barrister Rabab Chowdhury, project director of the People for Animal Welfare Foundation, said, "If sterilisation continues like this, dogs may become extinct there. But so far our survey says that it (sterilisation) is not possible 100 per cent. Because, Saint Martin is an island, dogs have somehow gone there. Dogs fight during reproduction or breeding. If they are sterilised, the fighting will stop.

Mother dogs become aggressive. This is natural. Then people think that the dog has gone mad, and then they beat it. Moreover, many times this is better than dying of hunger. Sterilisation reduces the risk of cancer.

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