GONE TO THE DOGS

A wounded stray limps across the main street of Tingri, Tibet. Dogs roam the town in menacing packs.

While the mountain views from Tingri look stunning at night, the glare of the sun reveals a different story in this town of 500 in southern Tibet.

Just 30 miles from the Nepal border, Tingri would be the last stop in Tibet on our driving tour from Lhasa to Kathmandu. Within sight of four of the world's tallest mountains, the settlement has long been used as a base by climbers looking to summit Mt. Everest and other nearby peaks. Yet before visitors' eyes can reach the snow-covered Himalayas in the distance, they must first pass over what now seem to be the town's two biggest by-products--packs of aggressive stray dogs and numerous mounds of garbage that blot the otherwise scenic landscape. 

A homeless dog takes a rest in one of the town's many trash piles. The Himalayas can be seen at the end of the street.

How this town's dog and trash problem got so bad, no one we talked to had a clue. Even stranger, the people in the town seemed to have grown accustomed to both. 

Kids walk around with rocks in case a canine gets too close. Adult residents toss their trash wherever they are, which is the same place many of them also defecate and urinate.

It was a striking contrast--the stunning Himalayan views on the horizon and the constant, in-your-face sight and smell of trash, human waste, and stray dogs. The entire scene is made even more unreal considering the Chinese government's typically tight-fisted control over what Tibetan cities and sites tourists are able to visit.

Street dogs sleeping in the morning sun.

These are major issues that are no doubt impacting the health of the residents, not to mention hurting the animals and surrounding environment. With only one day remaining on our visa there was little we could do while we were there. 

So, from Nepal, we're working other angles including contacting international organizations that may be able to lend a hand. We were also thinking about writing to the Chinese government directly, but then we thought...we would really love to be permitted to return to their country some day, so perhaps we might hold off on direct interaction, at least for now.

That said, if you have any ideas or contacts that could help out the situation in Tingri, let us know. Clearly something needs to be done soon, lest one of Tibet's most scenic locations achieves more fame for its growing collection of stray dogs and putrid trash than its unparalleled views of the Himalayas.

The view from our hotel's bathroom (outhouse).

Medical waste, including hundreds of used needles, fills an open pit behind the town's make-shift hospital.