The recent decision by the Supreme Court regarding the stray dog problem in Delhi-NCR has sparked heated debate.
What Did The Supreme Court Say?
On Monday, the Supreme Court ordered that all stray dogs in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) be captured all stray dogs within eight weeks, directing civic authorities to set up dedicated dog shelters for them, and that once removed, no dog should be returned to the streets.
A bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan took note of the problem in lieu of rising incidents of stray dog attacks.
The Supreme Court in its recent order said, “NCT Delhi, MCD, NMDC shall at earlier start picking up stray dogs from all localities, from more particularly vulnerable localities and cities. How to do it is for the authorities to look into and if they have to create a force, do it at the earliest. However, this should be the first and foremost exercise to make all localities free of stray dogs. There should not be any compromise in undertaking any exercise.”
“However, what is important, and without which the entire exercise would go futile, not a single stray dog should be released and if we know that this has happened, we will take stern action.”
The order also added, “The authorities concerned, more particularly the government Of NCT Delhi, are directed to put detailed information about the place where such vaccines are available, the stock of vaccines and the number of persons who report for treatment on a monthly basis.”
Justifying their verdict, Justice Pardiwala said, “We are not doing this for us, it is for the public interest. So, no sentiments of any nature should be involved. Action should be taken at the earliest.”
He further told amicus curiae Gaurav Agarwala, “Pick up dogs from all localities and shift them to shelters. For the time being, forget the rules.”
However, it is not as if India is the only country to face a stray dog problem. Various countries and cities across the world have met with it and dealt with it in their own manner.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands is perhaps considered the gold standard in how to tackle a city’s stray dog problem. Said to be the first European nation without a stray dog population, the country has had a long road, where at one point laws about leashing and muzzling pets and a ‘dog tax’ were even introduced. These did not help at all, further leading to an increase in pet abandonment by pet owners who wanted to avoid the tax.
It was only when the country shifted to a humane and sustainable approach, strict laws against animal abuse, such as neglect or cruelty, became a criminal offence with fines and three years of jail time, that any significant change came about.
Three key factors also helped: comprehensive CNVR (Collect, Neuter, Vaccinate, and Return) programs, high taxes on purebred purchases to encourage adoption, and a dedicated pet police being created to help and rescue animals.
Bhutan
Bhutan has managed to achieve nearly 100% sterilisation and vaccination of its free-roaming dog population. As per reports, this came about due to public health planning involving animal welfare and awareness drives around this issue, including the communities.
Read More: Mass Killing Of Stray Dogs Is Common In India: Time To Prevent Rising Cruelty Towards Stray Dogs
Thailand
Thailand has a large stray dog population, with Bangkok alone estimated to have between 100,000 and 300,000 stray dogs.
Initiatives like the Soi Dog Foundation have successfully used CNVR (Capture, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return) programs on 1.17 million animals, significantly reducing populations in areas like Phuket, cutting it down by 90%.
However, the problem remains, exacerbated by factors like abandonment and a lack of resources for spaying, neutering, and vaccination.
Mexico
Mexico has a significant stray dog population, estimated to be around 10 to 15 million, according to reports. While programs sterilisation and adoption drives have been in put in place, however, due to limited sources, especially in rural areas, the results are still low. However, through mass dog vaccination, the country has successfully eliminated human rabies.
Kochi
Kochi’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre, as per a TOI report, has sterilised almost 8,510 strays in the past 10 years. The city that has a stray dog population of around 35,000 further aims to sterilise 2,000 dogs monthly.
Brazil
Brazil, specifically the city of São Paulo, has interestingly witnessed a 60% decrease in stray dogs over five years. This has been due to a combination of sterilisation, vaccination, and adoption programs. Public awareness of responsible ownership is also said to have helped.
Countries like Germany, Spain, Japan, and Australia don’t really have a big stray population in the first place. This is due to a focus on sterilisation, vaccination, and adoption, and various laws like high penalties for pet abandonment, and strict pet ownership laws being in place. It is also mandatory for pet owners to get their pets microchipped, and there is an emphasis on TNR programs and public education.
It is clear to see that in place were the implementation of laws, with importance given to infrastructure, proper teams being in place, and ensuring that the rules are followed, while being humane toward the animals in question, then a positive result is seen. However, just plain blanket orders have never helped in any place; eventually, the problems always arise.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Moneycontrol, The Indian Express, TOI
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Stray Dog, Stray Dogs india, Stray Dog problem, Stray Dog problem india, Stray Dogs supreme court, supreme court, supreme court order, supreme court order stray dogs
Disclaimer: We do not hold any rights or copyright over any of the images used; these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly email us.
