Catch-Neuter-Release (CNR). Sometimes the term Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) is used.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are more than 600 million stray dogs in the world. Of all the world’s dogs about 75 percent are stray dogs. Managing these populations of stray dogs in some countries is a major concern and the problems are not just dogs’ welfare, but also the health risks to people – especially considering rabies. Due to lack of education and lack of resources, dogs are killed by unimaginably cruel and inhumane methods. But killing dogs does not solve the basic problem, on the contrary, it has been shown that despite enormous mass killings, the population of stray dogs is almost the same after a few years as before the mass killings began.
Why use CNR as a method?
A single uncastrated female stray dog can in a few years produce over 1000 dogs. Females usually gets pregnant at their first maturity and stray dogs’ population therefore increases drastically in a short period of time.To kill the dogs to reduce the population is inefficient. It just means that the territory becomes vacant and that these territories will be occupied by new dogs from nearby neighborhoods or rural areas. The new dogs will thus continue to multiply. In addition, the dogs that are caught by municipals will not be put to sleep in a humane manner, instead they are shot, beaten to death or poisoned, either directly on the streets or gathered in municipal shelters where poison is injected into their chests. Both methods are extremely painful for the dogs.
What does the CNR as a method mean?
CNR involves capturing stray dogs, neutering them and then releasing them back to the place where they were captured and where the dogs know where they can find food. They are also vaccinated against rabies and is often given vermin treatment. The dogs are tagged in the ear with a visible plastclip.The method is recommended by the WHO as the most effective and humane method to reduce the number of stray dogs. Studies have shown that in order to have control of a stray dog population in a given area about 70 percent of the dogs have to be neutered, thereby ensuring that the number of stray dogs does not increase.
CNR should also include neutering programs for owned dogs that live outside for example in backyards. Non-profit animal welfare organizations often provide locals to neuter their pets at no cost.
Dogs that are not expected to survive on the street, such as puppies, extremely skinny, sick or injured dogs, are not released after castration in the place they were found, but often taken care of in shelters of various organizations and the dogs are then put up for adoption programs.
