Chennai has 1.8 lakh stray dogs: Corporation tells Madras High Court
In a report filed before Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice Sunder Mohan, the GCC said it was working towards 'Rabies-free Chennai', and that a mass anti-rabies vaccination camp for both street dogs and pet dogs had commenced on August 9, 2025.
The corporation said it had planned to cover all 200 divisions in its 15 zones within 60 days. The report was filed in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) petition, which had expressed concerns over the agony faced by humans, especially kids, due to dog bites.
Filing the report on behalf of the GCC, its Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) J. Kamal Hussain said the corporation had made it mandatory for pet owners to obtain online pet licence by uploading photographs of both the owners as well as the pets, their residential proof, and anti-rabies vaccination (ARV) certificates.
So far, 11,630 online pet licences had been issued on condition that the pet owners would be responsible for controlled breeding, immunisation, neutering and licensing. Further, the licencees had been advised to ensure that their pets do not cause nuisance to others or public health hazard.
One of the other conditions imposed on the licencees was that no pet owner should allow their pets to defecate on roads, streets, drains, and so on, and that if any pet was found defecating on the road/street/drain, it would be the duty of the owner to clear the excreta in a disposable bag.
The CVO said the corporation council had passed a resolution on January 30, 2025, for mandatory microchipping of pet dogs too.
Stray dogs
Listing out the measures taken so far for controlling stray dogs in Chennai city limits, Mr. Hussain said, the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, require the civic body to leave the stray dogs back at the place from where they were picked up for the purpose of sterilisation and vaccination.
Accordingly, the stray dogs were being captured and taken to the five Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres at Pulianthope, Llyods Colony, Kannammapettai, Meenambakkam, and Shozhinganallur, and then being released back at places from where they had been captured, he said.
In 2022, 16,591 stray dogs were captured from across Chennai and 16,591 of them were found fit for surgery. Similarly, in 2023, 19,640 dogs were captured and 14,885 of them were found fit for surgery. In 2024, 20,296 dogs were captured and 14,678 were found fit for surgery, the CVO told the court.
He said, the corporation had decided to establish 10 more ABC centres across the city and that their construction would be completed within three months. After the completion of those new centres, the civic body had proposed to conduct about 50,000 surgeries per year.
Stating that the strays get captured using butterfly nets, the officer told the court that the corporation operates 23 properly designed dog transporting vans, and that it had planned to procure nine more dog vehicles. He said, five dog catchers and a driver was being deputed for each vehicle.
Further, the GCC had been following the practice of using QR code collars and micro chipping of stray dogs since November 2024 in order to ensure proper capture and release of the dogs using the latest technology for tracking and tracing the animals, the CVO added.
After perusing the report, the judges adjourned the hearing on the PIL petition by three months to await the orders to be passed by the Supreme Court on the issue of handling stray dogs. In the meantime, they advised the corporation to safeguard the interests of both the humans as well as the animals.
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