World Urban Forum: Key Insights from Positive Cities Launch
Unmanaged dog and cat populations present significant challenges to cities globally, but humane dog and cat population management delivers compelling, measurable benefits for people and animals.
The evidence is clear: population management prevents dog bites and zoonotic diseases like rabies – which claims 59,000 lives annually – whilst delivering substantial public health cost savings. It fosters skilled job creation in veterinary services and community engagement, enhances public safety by reducing dog bites and animal-related traffic accidents, and improves the quality of urban spaces for diverse stakeholders, from children to local businesses.
Through effective population management, cities advance SDG-3 (Health) and SDG-11 (Sustainable Cities) while creating liveable, resilient communities where both people and animals thrive.
Explore below: 10 ways dog and cat population management benefits animals, people, and communities.
Ready to explore more? Please explore the rest of our website to discover how cities worldwide are transforming through positive interventions for people and animals – and how your town or city can become a ‘Positive City’ too!