Rising Death Toll from Stray Dogs and Rabies in India
India suffers the world’s highest burden of rabies deaths—about 18,000–20,000 fatalities annually, mostly from stray dog bites. This represents roughly 36% of global rabies deaths. Additionally, the country is home to an estimated 62 million stray dogs, fueling public health risks across urban and rural areas
Notably, between 2022 and 2023, ten people—including six children—were killed in Bijnor by packs of stray dogs. In 2025, a 13-year-old boy in Samastipur also died after a stray dog attack
Supreme Court’s Landmark Directive for Delhi-NCR (8-Week Order)
In a landmark ruling on August 11, 2025, the Supreme Court of India ordered immediate removal of stray dogs from the streets of Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad. Authorities must capture, vaccinate, sterilize, and relocate them to shelters—without releasing them back into the streets—within six to eight weeks. A helpline for dog-bite complaints must be set up within a week, along with CCTV-monitored shelters
The Court rebuked the existing Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules as ineffective, citing rising bite cases and public safety threats
Mixed Reactions: Relief, Criticism, and Political Backlash
The directive has sparked polarized responses:
Supporters, including Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs), welcomed the move as necessary for safety. Delhi CM Rekha Gupta vowed to implement the order systematically, noting that the stray dog issue had “assumed gigantic proportion” The Rajasthan High Court has also issued a similar decree to remove stray animals while minimizing harm—authorizing FIRs against obstructionists. Gunjan, a mother from Ghaziabad, thanked the Supreme Court for its ruling. She said her son was bitten by a stray dog while returning from tuition, calling it a traumatic experience for both the children and the family
Critics condemned the ruling:
- Animal rights groups and celebrities like Janhvi Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, and Vir Das called it a “death warrant” for stray dogs and argued it contradicts the humane ABC rules
- Rahul Gandhi labeled the blanket removals “cruel,” advocating that public safety and animal welfare can coexist
- An editorial branded the ruling “arbitrary” and unconstitutional—for ignoring the 2023 ABC Rules and government support for them, while relying on possibly flawed data
Balancing Safety and Humane Solutions: What Comes Next?
Experts emphasize that sterilization, vaccination, regulated feeding zones, and public awareness campaigns are proven, humane alternatives to mass removal. These strategies have reduced rabies elsewhere without harming animal populations