When people think about healthy communities, they usually think of hospitals, schools, sanitation systems, and public services. Rarely do they think about animals. Yet the wellbeing of people, animals, and the environment is deeply interconnected. Across India, community dogs, livestock, working animals, birds, wildlife, and people share the same spaces, resources, and challenges. Their health and welfare are not separate issues but part of a larger system that affects the quality of life of entire communities. This understanding lies at the heart of the One Health approach, a growing global movement that recognises that human health, animal health, and environmental health are inseparable. For 45 years, Help in Suffering (HIS) has witnessed this connection firsthand through its work in Jaipur. What began as an effort to alleviate animal suffering has evolved into a broader mission that touches public health, education, livelihoods, and community wellbeing. A Shared Environment, A Shared Responsibility India is home to millions of community animals that live alongside people every day. Street dogs, cattle, camels, horses, donkeys, birds, and other animals are part of the social and

For decades, rabies has remained one of India’s most serious public health challenges. Despite being entirely preventable, the disease claims an estimated 45,000+ lives across the country every year. Yet within this grim landscape, Jaipur has achieved something remarkable. Since 1994, Help in Suffering’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme has transformed the city into one of India’s safest communities for rabies prevention. The results are striking: zero confirmed human rabies cases for over 20 consecutive years, 500 human lives saved from rabies, a 70% reduction in dog bite incidents, and more than 1,05,000 dogs sterilized and vaccinated. Understanding the Challenge In the early 1990s, Jaipur faced acute challenges. The street dog population was estimated at 50,000+ animals, and the city was seeing over 721 dog bite incidents per 100,000 people annually. Traditional approaches focused on culling, removing or killing street dogs but these methods consistently failed. When dogs were removed from an area, new ones quickly moved in. The population recovered within months, and the cycle continued. Even cities that spent millions on culling programmes saw temporary results followed by