Stray Dog Crisis: Delhi Given Eight Weeks to Act on Court Ruling

Authorities in Delhi must relocate stray dogs to shelters within eight weeks following concerns over rabies and dog bites.

In a landmark ruling, India's Supreme Court has mandated the government of Delhi and its adjacent regions to remove all stray dogs from the streets, urging officials to take immediate action due to concerns over the public health risks posed by dog bites and rabies. Authorities have been given an eight-week timeframe to complete the relocation of an estimated one million stray dogs, according to municipal sources.

As cities such as Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram experience a growing presence of strays, concerns surrounding rabies have intensified, with India accounting for 36% of global rabies-related fatalities, as reported by the World Health Organization. The court specifically highlighted the need for protective measures for young children, emphasizing that they should not be at risk of rabies from stray dogs.

The ruling follows increasing reports of dog bites in urban areas, prompting the court to call for the establishment of multiple shelters across Delhi and its suburbs, each capable of housing a minimum of 5,000 dogs. Furthermore, these shelters are required to include sterilization and vaccination facilities, as well as surveillance through CCTV cameras.

Importantly, the court's directive prohibits the release of sterilized dogs in public spaces, overriding existing laws that mandate their return to their original capture sites. Officials have also been ordered to create a helpline within a week for reporting dog bites and rabies incidents.

Despite the court's intentions, animal welfare advocates have expressed skepticism regarding the practicality of the ruling. Nilesh Bhanage, the founder of PAWS—an animal rights organization—noted that India's current shelter capacity is alarmingly inadequate, with many cities lacking basic infrastructure to manage stray dogs effectively. He emphasized that a more effective solution would involve robust enforcement of existing regulations, covering vaccination, sterilization, and improved waste management.

Statistics from government records reveal that in 2024, there were approximately 3.7 million reported dog bite cases nationwide. However, the authenticity of rabies-related mortality statistics remains questionable. While the World Health Organization indicates that rabies causes between 18,000 and 20,000 deaths annually, the Indian government has reported only 54 rabies fatalities in 2024, a modest increase from 50 in the previous year.