Animal welfare activists demand inclusion as 'stakeholders' after SC order on stray dogs

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) A group of animal welfare groups and activists on Friday demanded that they must be included as official "stakeholders" in all decisions related to stray animals.

They were speaking at a press conference at the Press Club of India after the Supreme Court ruled that healthy stray dogs should not be moved to shelters but sterilised, vaccinated and released back to their original locations.

Ambika Shukla, Trustee of the People for Animals organisation, said, "We must be recognised as stakeholders. We have experience and want to help. Shelters are not a long-term solution.

"The Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, which are backed by the WHO, already explain how stray dogs should be handled. The problem is with implementation." She claimed that civic bodies are overworked with traffic, congestion and related issues, and often give low priority to animal-related cases. "There is no proper data, little research and no real training. This is where we can come in with our expertise," she said.

Advocate Divyam Khera said the latest Supreme Court decision is more compassionate. "The August 11 order was too harsh. This new order respects life and reflects India's values of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam," he said.

Dr Asher Jesudoss, a member of the Delhi Animal Welfare Board, explained that sterilisation helps control aggression and population. "Returning dogs to where they came from prevents fights. More feeding points also reduce aggression in packs," he said.

Another member on the panel claimed that Delhi is two years away from becoming a rabies-free state. The recent child deaths blamed on dogs were actually due to other medical issues and no rabies cases have been recorded in Delhi, she said.

"Even if we believe that India has the highest number of street dogs, the facts and numbers show that there are only 54 registered cases of rabies in the country. Since the ABC Rules, 2023 came into force, there has not been a single rabies-related issue," she added.

The activists called for a joint approach involving animal groups, health experts and civic bodies to properly follow the ABC Rules.

This change in the Supreme Court's earlier August 11 order comes as a big relief for animal lovers. The earlier order had asked civic bodies to remove stray dogs from Delhi's streets and relocate them to shelters within six to eight weeks, citing an increase in dog bite cases.

Activists had opposed this, saying shelters are overcrowded, expensive to run and often become disease hotspots. The new order also directs civic authorities to set up designated feeding spots in every ward based on the number of stray dogs. PTI SGV SHB SGV KSS KSS