Delhi Faces Stray Dog Crisis
The Supreme Court of India recently directed the removal of all stray dogs from Delhi’s streets within two months. This order has thrown the city’s civic authorities into turmoil. Delhi lacks permanent shelters, accurate data, sufficient manpower, and funds to manage its estimated million-strong stray dog population. Experts warn the task is near impossible and could lead to animal suffering and public health risks.
Current Stray Dog Population
Delhi’s last official dog census was in 2009, recording 560,000 animals. A 2019 estimate put the number at 800,000. Officials now believe it nears one million. No recent, formal survey exists, making planning difficult. Without precise data, authorities cannot allocate resources or design effective strategies.
Inadequate Infrastructure and Shelter Facilities
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) currently runs 20 Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres with NGOs. These centres hold dogs temporarily for sterilisation and release them back. Converting these into permanent shelters would only accommodate 3,500 to 4,000 dogs. This is less than 4% of the estimated population. Experts say humane housing requires 40–45 sq ft per dog, needing hundreds of acres and thousands of enclosures.
Financial and Logistical Constraints
Feeding a million dogs at ₹40 per dog per day would cost around ₹3 crore daily or over ₹1,000 crore annually. This excludes salaries, transport, medical care, and construction. Current sterilisation payments to NGOs are delayed. Catching and transporting dogs require trained handlers, vehicles, and quarantine units, which are insufficient. Only two dog-catching vans operate in each of Delhi’s 12 zones.
Failures of Sterilisation and Vaccination Programmes
Over the past three years, 2,70,172 dogs were sterilised. Officials claim nearly 700,000 sterilised over seven years. However, activists dispute these figures. Effective population control demands over 70% coverage in each locality, which has not been achieved. Existing ABC centres have limited capacity, holding 20–30 dogs per batch. Veterinary hospitals are under-equipped and understaffed.
Animal Welfare Concerns and Legal Issues
Animal rights activists warn that large-scale capture and sheltering without infrastructure will cause overcrowding, disease, and deaths. Dogs’ territorial nature makes relocation stressful and dangerous. The ABC Rules mandate sterilisation, vaccination, and release back to territories, not permanent removal. Ignoring these rules risks legal challenges and worsens human-animal conflicts.
Efforts and Recommendations by Authorities
The MCD sub-committee is seeking unused municipal properties, community halls, and veterinary facilities for shelters. None are currently suitable for long-term care. Officials plan to list 12,000 aggressive dogs based on bite complaints for priority capture. However, resource shortages make even this limited goal challenging.
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