NEW DELHI — Compassionate citizens, including children and advocates from animal protection organizations across India, gathered at Jantar Mantar today to hold a peaceful demonstration ahead of a Supreme Court hearing on the fate of India’s street dogs scheduled for Jan.5. Participants urged the highest court to review and recall its recent order calling for the removal of street dogs from public spaces and instead to uphold humane, lawful and evidence-based street dog management.
In November last year, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court ordered the removal of street dogs from public institutions (schools, hospitals, transport hubs) as well as the capture, sterilization and vaccination of dogs, followed by their permanent relocation to shelters rather than returning them to their original territories. A legal petition to overturn the ruling, filed by animal protection groups, will be heard by the Supreme Court later this week.
Speakers at the gathering highlighted that the removal or relocation of street dogs has repeatedly failed. It creates territorial vacuums quickly filled by unvaccinated and unsterilized dogs from other areas, which can lead to increased conflict and public safety concerns. They reiterated that the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2001 (updated 2023) which prioritize sterilization and vaccination, remain the only lawful and sustainable solution for long-term dog population management.
Humane World for Animals India has successfully run humane street dog population management programs in major cities across India since 2013, sterilizing and vaccinating more than 400,000 street dogs in that time. The charity works across the globe to improve the welfare of street, community and companion dogs and cats, promoting humane, sustainable approaches to reduce street animal populations and support peaceful coexistence with people.
Keren Nazareth, senior director of companion animals and engagement team at Humane World for Animals India, said: “Rabies and human-dog tensions are serious issues, but removing street dogs is not and has never been an effective solution. Worse, it erodes decades of work to eradicate rabies and to ensure human-dog coexistence. We must work together to come to an intelligent and nuanced solution rather than sidelining the law of the land. Removing street dogs may seem like a quick fix, but in the long term it would be an ineffective disaster. Warehousing millions of dogs in inadequate shelters for their lifetime, would also make it a very cruel disaster indeed.”
“India’s Animal Birth Control Rules were passed into law in 2001. They are comprehensive, scientific and humane. Every city and region across India has had 24 years to budget, build infrastructure and implement these rules, yet only a handful have done so. Now, nearly a quarter of a century later, our dogs are paying the price for years of inaction by ineffectual officials. India has historically had one of the strongest laws in the world to protect street dogs. The Supreme Court is being urged to honour that compassionate, science-based legacy and overturn this retrogressive decision.”
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