SC Ruling on Stray Dogs

General Studies Paper-2

Context

• Recently, the Supreme Court of India directed the Delhi government and authorities of Noida, Gurgaon, and Ghaziabad to capture and relocate stray dogs to shelters, calling the situation ‘grim’.
• It stressed that ‘infants and young children, at any cost, should not fall prey to rabies’.

Stray Dog Problem in India

• India is home to over 60 million stray dogs, accounting for 37% of the global stray dog population. Dog bites occur every 10 seconds in India, totaling over 3 million annually.
  • Rabies claims two lives every three hours, making India the global epicenter for rabies-related deaths.
• Infants and elderly citizens are increasingly vulnerable, with fatal attacks reported in Delhi, Telangana, and Punjab.
• Stray dogs contribute significant health hazards.
• Even the rabies elimination goal (by 2030) is unattainable without effective stray control.

Root Causes: A Complex Web

• Pet Owner: Pet ownership is rising rapidly, with 30 million pet dogs recorded in 2024 and is growing at 10–15% annually.
  • A significant portion of the problem stems from irresponsible pet ownership like abandonment of pets, unneutered pets, and lack of identification.
• Issue of Proxy Petting: Feeding strays on streets—often by well-meaning citizens—makes dogs territorial and aggressive.
  • It mirrors the issue seen with monkeys in urban India, emboldening animals and increasing attacks on non-feeders.
• Municipal laws mandate sterilization and sheltering, but implementation is patchy and underfunded.
• Earlier Attempts to Control Stray Populations
• Lethal Measures: Past methods like electrocution, poisoning, shooting—proved both inhumane and ineffective.
• Reduced competition for food led to increased breeding among survivors.
• Sterilisation Drives: The Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme, introduced in 1992 and formalised in 2001, requires sterilising at least two-thirds of a canine population in a short window to work.
• No Indian city has consistently met this target, and pet dogs breeding with strays undo much of the progress.

Legal and Ethical Dilemmas

• Protection for Feeders: Citizens feeding stray dogs are protected under Article 51A(g) of the Constitution, which encourages compassion for living creatures.
• India’s legal frameworks: Like Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act (1960),Animal Birth Control (ABC) (2001, updated in 2023), and Municipal Acts aim to balance animal welfare with public safety. However, contradictions persist:
  • Municipalities are restricted from euthanizing strays unless they are mortally ill.
  • Stray dogs are now legally recognized as ‘community animals’, complicating removal efforts.
• Right to Life vs. Right to Safety: The Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasized that stray dogs have a right to live, cautioning against indiscriminate culling. It raises difficult questions, like:
• Can the right to life of stray animals override the right to safe public spaces, especially for children and the elderly?
• Is it ethical to allow animals to suffer homelessness and disease on the streets in the name of compassion?

Toward Humane and Balanced Solutions

• Mandatory pet registration, microchipping and sterilization to prevent abandonment and uncontrolled breeding.
• Designated feeding zones and shelters to reduce territorial aggression.
• Public awareness campaigns to educate citizens on dog behavior and responsible interaction.
• Instilling empathy and responsibility in young citizens can create a more humane future.
• Accountability for pet owners and feeders, ensuring they contribute to safety and welfare.
• National Task Force to coordinate efforts across states, as proposed by MP Karti Chidambaram.