'Unscientific' & 'ineffective': Animal rights groups furious over Supreme Court order on stray dogs

Several animal welfare organisations have criticised the Supreme Court’s recent order to remove stray dogs from the streets of Delhi-NCR and relocate them to shelter homes, calling the decision "unscientific" and "ineffective".

The apex court issued the directive on Monday while hearing a suo motu case, initiated on 28 July, over the rise in stray dog bites leading to rabies cases in the national capital. The court said the animals should be taken off the streets and housed in shelters, adding that they would not be allowed to return.

A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan also warned that strict action, including contempt proceedings, would be taken against anyone who obstructed the process.

PETA India Calls Move “Chaotic” and “Harmful”

According to a PTI report, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India said the forced removal of Delhi’s estimated 10 lakh community dogs would cause “chaos and suffering” for both the animals and residents.

“Displacement and jailing of dogs has never worked. Such actions will not curb the dog population, reduce rabies or prevent bites, as dogs eventually return to their territories,” said Dr Mini Aravindan, senior director of veterinary affairs at PETA India.

She urged the government to focus on strengthening sterilisation and vaccination drives, shutting down illegal pet shops and breeders, and promoting adoption.

“Misguided and Counterproductive”

As per news agency PTI, Alokparna Sengupta, managing director of Humane World for Animals India, called the court’s decision “misguided” and “counterproductive”.

“Relocating dogs merely shifts the problem elsewhere. The only scientifically proven long-term solution is to scale up Animal Birth Control programmes,” she said.

Animal rights groups have stressed that without consistent sterilisation and vaccination efforts, removing dogs from the streets will not address the root of the problem and could even make matters worse.

Inputs from PTI