Animal welfare organisation Soi Dog Foundation met with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) recently to discuss a plan for amplifying their joint efforts to help homeless animals in the capital.
The organisations’ shared commitment to improving animal welfare in Bangkok was formalised in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in July 2023, joining them in a comprehensive project of neutering and vaccinating dogs and cats, coupled with public education initiatives on rabies prevention and overall animal welfare.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt subsequently set out a specific stray animal management policy for the BMA and appointed a committee to assist, which consists of various Bangkok agencies, animal welfare organisations, faculties of veterinary medicine and Soi Dog Foundation.
“Many parties need to discuss this work because dog and cat issues are complex,” said Deputy Governor of the BMA Prof. Tavida Kamonvej at the MOU signing. “[Stray animals] are a part of society, and we must also consider the surrounding community. Thank you, Soi Dog, for your cooperation. Bangkok is ready to work together.”
At the committee’s most recent meeting, chaired by Director of the Department of Health Sunthorn Sunthornchat, Soi Dog Foundation presented the significant progress made through its large-scale spay/neuter programme (known as CNVR – Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return).
The programme in Greater Bangkok – which has been generously part-funded by Dogs Trust Worldwide since 2016 – is helping to humanely and effectively manage the population of stray animals and stem the spread of diseases such as rabies.
Since 2016, more than half a million animals have been neutered and vaccinated through the programme in Greater Bangkok. In the city itself, this has led to a 43.2% reduction in the density of the stray animal population, said Soi Dog’s CNVR Director Dr. Tuntikorn Rungpatana.
An annual animal welfare survey is also showing a positive correlation between this declining population and community attitudes. Between 2016 and 2023, the number of local residents reporting a positive perception of stray animals soared from 32.5% to an encouraging 68.5%.
Soi Dog Foundation looks forward to building on this collaborative work in 2024 and beyond for the continued benefit of both animal and human communities in the capital.
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