Delhi given eight weeks to round up hundreds of thousands of stray dogs

Delhi is facing a serious issue with stray dogs, as the city is home to an estimated one million of them. The problem has become so severe that India's highest court has ordered officials in Delhi and nearby cities to remove all stray dogs from the streets and place them in animal shelters. The court gave the authorities only eight weeks to complete this huge task, expressing concern about the growing number of dog bites and the risk of rabies, a deadly disease that can be spread by dog bites. The court said that children and infants should be able to walk around freely without being afraid of being bitten by stray dogs.

The court's order includes building new shelters across Delhi and its suburbs, with each shelter able to house at least 5,000 dogs. These shelters must have facilities for sterilizing the dogs so they cannot have puppies, and for vaccinating them against rabies. The shelters should also have CCTV cameras to monitor the dogs and staff. The court also said that sterilized dogs should not be released back onto the streets, which is different from the current rules that allow dogs to be returned to where they were caught. In addition, the court wants a helpline set up within a week so people can report dog bites and rabies cases quickly.

Animal welfare groups are worried about the court's decision. They say that the eight-week deadline is not realistic because most Indian cities do not have enough shelters or resources to take care of so many dogs. Nilesh Bhanage, who runs an animal rights group called PAWS, said that cities should focus on following the existing rules better, like vaccinating and sterilizing dogs and managing garbage so dogs do not gather in large numbers. Government data shows that there were 3. 7 million reported dog bites in India in 2024, and the World Health Organization says that India has the highest number of rabies deaths in the world. The real number of deaths from rabies might be even higher than what is reported. The government says there were 54 rabies deaths in 2024, up from 50 in 2023, but activists believe the true number is not known. Many people hope that the new rules will help make Delhi and other cities safer, but there are still many challenges to overcome.