It is estimated that there are currently over 3 million street dogs in Sri Lanka, many of whom suffer immensely through malnutrition, untreated diseases and horrific injuries generally caused by humans. Sri Lanka’s ratio of dogs to human population is 1:6. With over 1 million dogs in Zambia, with unknown general human to dog ratio but a ratio of 1:3  in a study of a rural area.

Street dogs live in harsh conditions with little to no veterinary care and are always at a high risk of road accidents. Street dogs are also under threat from various parasitic infections and zoonotic diseases, many of which represent a human public health concern, such as rabies. Without access to veterinary care, dogs can also die of rabies and other diseases, and live with painful and debilitating injuries from being hit by traffic. When the number of dogs exceeds the community’s capacity to care for them, street dogs can also suffer from malnutrition and may even face cruel behaviour such as stone throwing, which can be exacerbated by a community’s fear of dog bites and rabies. Together, these factors contribute to street dogs having a short average life expectancy in comparison. Majority of the pups do not survive the year, and an adult dog rarely surpasses the age of