Delhi Court Orders Relocation of Stray Dogs Amid Rising Rabies Concerns

The Supreme Court of India has mandated that Delhi authorities remove all stray dogs from public areas within eight weeks due to rising rabies and dog bite incidents, raising concerns among animal welfare groups about the feasibility and ethics of the directive.

In a significant ruling, India's Supreme Court has set an eight-week timeline for Delhi and its suburbs to round up stray dogs and relocate them to animal shelters. This decision follows rising concerns over the increasing frequency of dog bites and potential rabies outbreaks, particularly affecting vulnerable populations like young children. With an estimated stray dog population of about one million in Delhi, the court emphasized the urgent need to ensure public safety and instill confidence among citizens.

Officials have reportedly been instructed to establish multiple shelters across the city, each with the capacity to accommodate at least 5,000 dogs. These facilities must also include sterilization and vaccination processes, alongside surveillance measures using CCTV cameras. Importantly, the court stipulated that sterilized dogs should not be returned to public areas, countering existing regulations that require their release at capture sites.

The establishment of a helpline for reporting dog bites and rabies cases is also mandated to enhance responsiveness to public health risks. However, the ruling has drawn criticism from animal welfare advocates, who argue that the timeline set by the court is impractical, given the current state of shelter capacity in Indian cities. Nilesh Bhanage from the animal rights organization PAWS highlighted that many Indian cities lack even minimal capacity to rehabilitate the stray dog population within the specified timeframe.

Data reveals a troubling trend regarding dog bites in India, with 3.7 million documented incidents occurring in 2024 alone. While rabies-related deaths are notoriously underreported, the World Health Organization estimates that rabies caused between 18,000 to 20,000 fatalities annually in India. Conversely, governmental reports indicate that rabies deaths rose slightly from 50 in 2023 to 54 in 2024, further emphasizing the need for effective measures to manage the stray dog population and rabies vaccination campaigns.

As the situation develops, it remains to be seen how officials will balance the immediate demands of the court with the ethical treatment of animal populations in the region. The ruling poses significant challenges for both public safety and animal rights, calling for comprehensive strategies that extend beyond immediate containment efforts.