Here is an idea (not mine), which may be difficult to implement in Bali, given the attitude (in general) of the Balinese toward animals, but on the other hand, given the uniqueness of the banjar form of government, could make it easier to implement, given the right incentives and leadership. Who knows?
Ok, here it is. In Los Angeles, CA, there is an ABSOLUTE non-profit Foundation (ridiculously small over-head) to control and cut down on the feral cat population (My oldest daughter has been a volunteer in this organization for several years). First, it starts at the highest level with the Mayor of the city having decreed that L.A. will be a “no-kill city,” i.e., feral cats will not be capture and then destroyed or given to research labs. It works something like this:
- All the work is done by volunteers.
- There is a network of veterinarians who agreed to much lower fees for certain basic services (neutering, shots).
- Each volunteer is given the responsibility for a small area near where he/she lives. He/she watches for the presence of feral cats in his/her area that he/she then captures and brings to the vet for neutering and eventual treatment. The (reduced) bill is paid by the volunteer who turns around and summit it to the organization for re-imbursement.
- The “fixed” feral cats are then released, as they cannot be rehabilitated. The first time the cat is captured, the cat’s tip of its ear is cut, so that it can be determined at a distance that this particular animal has already been captured and “fixed.” So, no need to trap it again.
- The volunteer has the responsibility, he/she knowing the area well where these animals tend to congregate, to bring them food and water on a regular basis. This last item must be done “in secret” because many people object, thinking this would attract even more straights.
- The volunteer also captures the kittens. They are taken to the volunteer’s house, where they can be tamed within a week or so, and therefore put up for adoption.
- On week-ends, in front of many pet stores, such as PerCo stores, tables are set up with the cats for adoption in cages. Advertising is done in newspapers and by word of mouth as to the locations of these pet stores. The potential owner of a new pet must promise to keep the cat(s) off the street, and if for any reason there is a change of mind, to return the cat(s) back to the organization, not just dump them back in the street.
- For cats that cannot be adopted for whatever reasons, there are “retirement homes” for them, private houses with everything cats need, overseen also by volunteers (retired old (and not so old) “cat ladies” (sorry about the stereotyping)
This program requires, as in any other volunteer organization, dedication on the part of the volunteers. However, although not perfect, it is highly successful and rewarding for everybody.
I will let you and your constructive collective imagination find ways to adapt this “cat program” to the dog problem in Bali. As I see it, it is obvious how to go about to make such program applicable to dogs, but go ahead, because, I am not fully cognizant of the situation on the ground in Bali: I have never lived there on a permanent basis, and my involvement with my banjar consisted only in some periodic financial contributions. I don't think I am wrong when I say that the implementation of such a program for the Bali dogs could be easier in many ways than the one in L.A. for its feral cats.
The buzz word for this program, any program, to work is CONTROL, CONTROL, and CONTROL over the population.
