The Supreme Court of India has modified its earlier order on the management of stray dogs, bringing important changes to how sterilised canines will be treated. In its fresh directive, the Court ruled that stray dogs must be caught, sterilised, vaccinated, and then released back into the same locality from where they were picked up. However, dogs that have rabies or display extremely aggressive behaviour will be kept in shelters and not allowed to roam freely.
This new order replaces the Court’s earlier one, which many believed was “too harsh” and impractical to implement. This revision of the order by the Court is a balance between protecting public safety and ensuring humane treatment of animals.
The bench, headed by three judges, Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria, asserted above all that the control of stray dogs must respect the rights of animals.
The judges noted that sterilisation and vaccination under the Animal Birth Control programme remain the most effective way to manage the issue. At the same time, they recognised that dangerously aggressive dogs or dogs having rabies pose a threat and must be housed in proper shelters. “Our orders must be humane and practical. Sterilised and vaccinated dogs cannot be treated as a threat to society,” the bench observed.
In its revised order, the Court made several points clear:
First, all stray dogs should be caught, sterilised, vaccinated, and released back into their original locality. This is because removing dogs completely from an area creates a vacuum, leading to the arrival of new, unsterilised animals.
Second, dogs that are found to have rabies or display aggressive behaviour should not be released and must instead be kept in shelters to ensure public safety.
Third, the Court reiterated its previous stance on the feeding of stray dogs, stating that public feeding in open spaces should be avoided. It instructed that residents wishing to feed stray dogs do so in designated venues, being careful not to inconvenience residents with their feeding procedures.
Lastly, the Court mandated that it is the responsibility of municipal bodies and local authorities to implement effective sterilisation and vaccination drives.
Stray dog issues have long been debated in India, all because of the increased dog bite incidences that the country has recently been experiencing. With that, a lot of citizens have raised their voices over the issues manifested in terms of threatening children, old people, and pedestrians.
Yet, animal rights activists have stood to overcome all these and said that the strays should not be treated cruelly, since they have long been saying that sterilisation and vaccination are the only long-term solutions to the problem. Earlier orders of the Supreme Court were initially too strict, but this latest change in stance is seen as a much more practical and balanced step.
The revised order of the Supreme Court addresses these issues while taking a middle path that protects both people and animals in this regard. The successful implementation of such an approach would depend on the sincere, efficient execution of these directions given by the Court over the next few months by local authorities.
