A balanced, long-term approach needed to fight stray dog menace

THE Supreme Court’s directive to relocate all stray dogs from Delhi’s streets into shelters within eight weeks marks a watershed moment in India’s stray dog crisis. While public safety concerns are valid — Delhi sees up to 2,000 dog-bite incidents daily, with mounting rabies cases — the solution must be more than reactive. Nationwide, 22 lakh dog bite cases were reported in 2024. It calls for a long-term, consultative strategy involving civic bodies, veterinarians, animal welfare groups and local communities. The problem is also about poor urban planning and gaps in implementing Animal Birth Control (ABC) and vaccination programmes. Cities, towns and villages with overflowing garbage and open slaughterhouse waste enable stray populations to thrive. Sterilisation drives and anti-rabies vaccination campaigns undertaken by municipal bodies over the years have failed to reduce the numbers. Lack of adequate funds and staff hamper the efforts. Meanwhile, confrontations between those who feed strays in streets and those against the allowing of this practice are witnessed daily.