According to researchers from the School of Statistics, dogs wandering on the streets can cause public health problems. As a result of Storm Nate , many pets were abandoned (Senasa photo).

How many dogs do you estimate there are on the streets of Costa Rica? According to 2012 estimates by the National Agri-Food Health and Quality Authority (Sensasa), there are about one million stray dogs in the country. In this regard, the awareness of Costa Ricans is that the number of dogs on the streets of Costa Rica has increased over the past two years, according to the 2017 News Survey conducted by the School of Statistics of the University of Costa Rica. Rica (UCR). ).

According to this study, 80.9% of the population considers that the number of dogs on the streets is high and that  nearly half of the people treated believe that this situation affects public health, either through biting, various damage to the ownership or transmission of diseases. 

Read also: Statistical data presented results of the Eпcυesta de Noticias 2017

The study, developed by researchers Noelia Rojas, Jυaп José Rojas, Shirley Herrera and Ericka Valerio, also indicated that 60.2% of Costa Rican households have dogs as pets, and of these, 26.6% affirm that their dogs I get used to going out into the streets alone.

Main findings

A high percentage of the homeless people (79.2%) reported damage to their married homes due to stray dogs, such as breaking garbage bags (57.1%) and the excrement they produced (55.1%). The mistreatment of these animals was also reported by the affected people, with 36.8% stating that they had witnessed mistreatment towards them and 44.3% stating that there is a lot of mistreatment.

It is known that there are specific statistics on abuse of stray dogs, although these types of cases (abuse and abuse) are reported daily on social networks.

60.2% of Costa Rican homes have dogs as pets, and of these, 26.6% usually let their dogs go out alone on the streets (ODI file photo).

The survey reveals that Costa Ricans would support measures to control stray dogs such as the option of offering them  food and a decent home (97.2%), and strongly reject the possibility of euthanizing them (93.4%).

Ileaпa Céspedes, coordinator of the Seпasa Animal Welfare Program, assured that the country has accurate studies to estimate the number of dogs that exist on the streets of the country and warned that the only control that can be exercised is castration. п, so the iпstitυcióп participates in various government organizations and associations in campaigns of this type.

“Sometimes we pack for campaigns, sometimes we go to some neighborhoods and remote areas. The same staff as us (Seпasa) has made itself available to associations and NGOs to carry out these campaigns,” explained Céspedes.

However, he assured, no institutional resources are allocated for this purpose, so it needs the collaboration of other organizations that do have them. “We have staff to help with whatever is available, whether it’s veterinarians or event organization, but basically that’s what we’ve been able to do to date,” he said.

Regarding the relationship between stray dogs and public health, nearly half of the people affected indicated that it affects them somewhat or a lot (52.3%) and biting people is the risk factor that is most considered.

The transmission of diseases, whether by land, air or through caressing, is perceived as an average of 5.2 (on a scale of zero to 10). However, the greater the awareness of these animals as a health problem, the more risk people perceive in the transmission of diseases (average of 7.0), according to the Statistics studies in charge of the subject.

The country has statistics on the number of dogs that roam the streets (photo from ODI file).

For his part, Jυaп Carlos Peralta, president of the Association for Animal Welfare and Protection (ABAA), highlighted that the association shows a lack of knowledge among people about the possibilities of transmitting diseases from dogs to humans.

“The animal that transmits the most diseases is the bird. In the case of dogs we have the parasite in the feces and this is basically due to the lack of deworming, and it is the lowest quantity,” he stated.

The relationship with the most supported control measures, for Peralta the results show that the educational work on animal welfare on the Costa Rican population is having a positive effect.

“Our country has advanced the respect for animals, it has expanded its awareness of the responsibility we have as a domiciliary species and that we are also the ones who hunt excess animals in the streets,” he stressed.

Finally, I maintain that Costa Rica does not cover the public policies necessary for the protection and well-being of these animals, nor does it cover State veterinary hospitals.

The researchers from the School of Statistics believe that there is a need to reinforce knowledge about the impact that stray dogs can produce on public health, “emphasizing preventive and appropriate practices for the population, but also for the management and treatment of these animals “that he deserves a better quality of life.”

It is important to detail that the EPC defined as stray dogs those dogs that are lost, abandoned or sick on the street, and also those that live in the house or property, but that spend part of the day away from it (60.2%). Of the homes in the country that have dogs as pets, 26.6% usually let them go outside alone).