4 days ago
Eight weeks to relocate all stray dogs
The top court ordered authorities in the capital Delhi and its suburbs to relocate all stray dogs to shelters within eight weeks, according to the Live Law website, after media reports of a rise in cases of rabies, especially among children.
The Indian government said in April that nearly 430,000 cases of dog bites had been reported across the country in January, compared with 3.7 million cases all through 2024.
India has 52.5 million stray dogs, according to a State of Pet Homelessness survey by Mars Petcare, while eight million homeless dogs are in shelters.
Local media reports suggest that Delhi alone has one million stray dogs.
India's top court took up the case after several reports in local media of stray dogs biting children in Delhi.
On Monday, Live Law reported that the court has asked authorities in Delhi to pick up stray dogs from across the city and move them to dog shelters.
Solicitor-General of India Tushar Mehta, for the Delhi government, urged for strong intervention as 'sterilisation only prevents the increase in their population, but it does not take away the power of the dogs to give rabies,' the website reported.
However, the move has drawn criticism from conservationists over its implementation.
'Where are the shelters to house thousands of dogs?' conservation biologist Bahar Dutt said in a post on X, calling the top court's order an 'impractical unscientific move'.
'We need mass vaccination and mass sterilisation – the only humane, proven ways to reduce conflicts,' Vidit Sharma, founder of animal welfare organisation Save A Stray, said on X. — Reuters
