Hyderabad: Dogs and humans should be taught how to behave around each other, says a veterinary official from Hyderabad, responding to the Supreme Court’s directive on stray dogs in Delhi NCR.
The Supreme Court on Monday ordered civic authorities in Delhi to immediately sterilise, shelter and permanently relocate stray dogs, warning that any resistance to the move will face strict action. Animal activists and veterinary officers in Hyderabad felt that the move is rather impractical and demands more investment from the government instead of focusing on simpler and more humane solutions.
According to the Animal Welfare Board of India guidelines, all municipal bodies in cities should sterilise 70 per cent of the dog population every year to keep their numbers in check.
In Hyderabad, as per 2024 GHMC data, there are 3,97,000 stray dogs. According to the GHMC officials, around 85 per cent of them have been vaccinated and sterilised.
Last year, the GHMC had told the Telangana High Court that it was continuously working to eradicate incidents of dog attacks on humans and claimed itself the country`s best civic authority in implementing the rules to reduce the dog–human conflict. Further, it claimed that no city in the country is implementing the rules the way it is was doing. Then-commissioner Amrapali Kata had also submitted to the court that it was not possible for the GHMC to house all street dogs or shift all of them to shelter homes or rehabilitation centres due to economic constraints
Hyderabad has five animal care shelters, and two more are coming up within a year. “We can perform 500 sterilisation surgeries in a single day and keep the dogs for five days at our centres,” said an official. But the official said this is not enough to keep all the dogs in the city, which would demand more investments in infrastructure and operational costs of maintaining them.
“Dogs are very intelligent animals and they like to roam freely. Keeping them in cages in animal shelters is against their nature and can cause more behavioural issues than there are at present. Relocating them to the outskirts will also not work as they can migrate to cities in search of food. Instead, going by the Bengaluru method to invest in designated feeding areas is a far better approach,” said another vet officer.
In Kukatpally zone, 8,000 dogs have been vaccinated from April till July end and around 3,949 have undergone Animal Birth Control methods. “It is a continuous process. Everyday anti rabies shots are being provided and special drives are taken up from time to time. We go to the field, see if the dog has been sterilised, if yes, we vaccinate them and if not, we bring them to the shelter and perform surgeries, vaccinate, keep them for five days and release,” a vet officer said.
Many citizens who have had adverse experiences with dogs have welcomed the move. Ashish, a freelance writer said, “Once a dog went straight for my tie. Most of the attacks are unprovoked. Sterilisation alone cannot bring change in behavioural issues as they are in a habit of attacking. Attacks also happen when dogs form a ‘pack culture’.” He, however, added that there needs to be more research on dog behaviour as many pet dogs are also seen attacking humans.
The GHMC runs awareness campaigns in schools, informing young children on how to behave around dogs, which includes pointers such as “do not throw stones, do not pull ears, do not hit them with sticks,” etc.
Nishita Goud, a student from Gowlipura said, “My street is filled with stray dogs. They aren’t harmful, but sometimes they get very scary when a bunch of dogs just stand and stare. There are a lot of kids in my area. So it would be better if the dogs are taken to care centres.”
The same was echoed by V. Shashank, an IT employee and resident of Bowenpally: “It is a good initiative. Removing strays from the streets would make me feel a little safe while having a night ride if the same is replicated in Hyderabad. But the municipal bodies have to ensure the dogs are given proper treatment and care. The care centres should be maintained properly.”
“I honestly can’t get behind this decision,” said Jasleen Kaur, founder of Allvet Pet Clinic. “India doesn’t have good quality shelters to take in all the dogs and give them the life they deserve. What will really happen is they’ll be caught, caged and left to wither away in isolation. Once this is enforced in Delhi-NCR, it’s only a matter of time before other states follow the same path. Removing dogs from their territories isn’t just inhumane, it’s ineffective,” she said.
India needs better vaccination, sterilisation and community-based solutions, not mass roundups that solve nothing in the long run, she said. “So far, the fight has been about allowing community feeders to continue to feed and pet the strays. Now they’re going to lose that fight because of this one order passed by the Supreme Court and its repercussions on all the other states,” Kaur added.
