Can Delhi follow the Netherlands’ example to end its stray dog crisis?

India’s Supreme Court has directed authorities in Delhi and neighbouring regions to remove all stray dogs from public spaces and place them in shelters within the next eight weeks.

The Monday ruling follows months of disturbing reports of attacks by free-ranging dogs —some of them fatal — particularly involving children.

Official records reveal an alarming escalation in bite incidents. Government figures from April this year indicated that January alone recorded nearly 430,000 dog bite cases nationwide, while the total for 2024 stood at 3.7 million.

The State of Pet Homelessness survey by Mars Petcare places the country’s stray dog population at about 52.5 million, with an additional eight million living in shelters.

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Estimates from local media suggest that Delhi alone may have as many as one million strays, although this number has not been independently confirmed.

The apex court’s decision was prompted by multiple reports of children being attacked, some of which resulted in rabies infections that proved fatal.

In its ruling, the bench instructed the Delhi government to pick up strays from across the city and move them into designated facilities, adding that an animal helpline must be established within a week to ensure bite cases are promptly reported.

“Infants and young children, should not at any cost, fall prey to rabies. The action should inspire confidence that they can move freely without fear of being bitten by stray dogs. No sentiment should be involved,” the court said..

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The bench also cautioned that any person or group obstructing the removal of stray dogs would face strict legal consequences.

Once relocated, the dogs are not to be returned to streets, residential neighbourhoods, or public places.

Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi government, argued that current measures were inadequate, explaining that “sterilisation only prevents the increase in their population, but it does not take away the power of the dogs to give rabies.”

The reaction to the SC stray dogs ruling

While some see the court’s decision as a vital step toward public safety, others question its feasibility.

Delhi state cabinet minister Kapil Mishra welcomed the order, saying it would help free the city “from the fear of rabies and stray animals,” and promised that “special attention will also be given to the comprehensive welfare of stray animals.”

सुप्रीम कोर्ट का ये ऑर्डर दिल्ली को रेबीज और बेसहारा पशुओं के भय से मुक्ति एक रास्ता दिखाता है

CM @gupta_rekha जी के नेतृत्व में दिल्ली सरकार का पशु विभाग सभी एजेंसियों के साथ मिलकर इस आदेश का अध्ययन करके इसको समुचित लागू करने की दिशा में आगे बढ़ेगा

इस आदेश को समयबद्ध तरीके… https://t.co/wCkh1CrnoV

— Kapil Mishra (@KapilMishra_IND) August 11, 2025

Animal welfare groups, however, have voiced strong reservations. Conservation biologist Bahar Dutt questioned the practicality of the plan, posting on X: “Where are the shelters to house thousands of dogs?”

Vidit Sharma, founder of Save A Stray, echoed this sentiment, insisting: “We need mass vaccination & mass sterilisation — the only humane, proven ways to reduce conflicts.”

Animal rights activist and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Maneka Gandhi, also commented on the matter, saying, “It is not a doable order… This is a very strange judgment given by someone who is in anger. Angry judgments are never sensible…”

#WATCH | Delhi | On SC order to send all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters within 8 weeks, Animal Rights Activist and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi says, "It is not a doable order... This is a very strange judgment given by someone who is in anger. Angry judgments are never… pic.twitter.com/z2Wog3XItY

— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2025

She told ANI, “… There is no single government-run shelter in Delhi. In how many shelters would you put 3 lakh dogs? You don’t even have one. To make those shelters, you have to spend at least Rs 15 thousand crore… You’ll have to find 3000 places for shelters in places where no one lives. How will you find these many places?… This can’t be done in two months… You’ll have to employ 1.5 lakh people to just be sanitation workers, which will again cost crores… Firstly, when they go to get the dogs, there will be fighting in every street because feeders are not going to let the dogs go. Every day, there will be fights. Do we want this destabilisation situation? Other political parties will get into it to attack the BJP… When the dogs from here are displaced, dogs from nearby states will come to Delhi, as there will be more food here. Then, within a week, there will be another 3 lakh dogs in Delhi, and these will not be sterilised. Then will you start another sterilisation programme and spend hundreds of crores again?…”

Critics have also pointed out that the Supreme Court’s instructions conflict with India’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules 2023.

These rules stipulate that sterilised and vaccinated dogs should be returned to the same locations from which they were captured, a principle designed to prevent territorial disputes among strays and avoid the spread of disease between groups from different areas.

However, the sheer scale of India’s stray population, combined with the public health risks, complicates implementation.

Between 2019 and 2022, official data recorded around 16 million dog bite incidents, and parliamentary data from 2023 estimates that rabies kills between 18,000 and 20,000 people annually in the country.

Rabies, caused by a virus transmitted through saliva, invades the central nervous system and is almost always fatal without immediate treatment.

What Delhi can learn from International models

Bhutan’s national drive

India’s neighbour Bhutan offers one example of large-scale, humane stray population control. The Himalayan nation achieved full sterilisation of its stray dogs in 2023 through its “Nationwide Accelerated Dog Population Management and Rabies Control Programme.”

Introduced in 2021, the initiative took inspiration from earlier sterilisation campaigns spread over 14 years.

By its completion, 61,680 dogs had been sterilised — 91 per cent of them free-ranging — while 58,581 were vaccinated against rabies.

Additionally, more than 32,500 pet dogs were microchipped and registered.

The entire programme cost Rs.29 crore and involved 12,812 personnel.

The Netherlands’ journey to zero strays

Perhaps the most frequently cited international example is the Netherlands, now recognised as the first country in the world to eliminate its stray dog population without resorting to mass euthanasia. The country’s success was decades in the making.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Netherlands faced a severe stray dog crisis driven by abandonment.

Initial government responses — such as mandatory leash and muzzle laws, culling, and a “dog tax” — were largely ineffective, and in some cases worsened the problem as financially burdened owners abandoned more pets.

By the late 20th century, the country adopted a radically different approach focused on animal welfare, responsible ownership, and public participation.

The core strategies included:

• Heavy taxes on store-bought dogs, encouraging adoption from shelters instead of commercial purchase. This policy dramatically increased adoption rates, helping move thousands of dogs off the streets.

• The CNVR programme (Collect, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return), which offered free veterinary services to sterilise and vaccinate stray dogs while ensuring their health through medical check-ups.

• Strict anti-cruelty laws, making abandonment and abuse criminal offences punishable by up to three years in prison and fines reaching €16,000.

• A dedicated animal police force tasked with rescuing animals, investigating abuse, and enforcing animal welfare laws.

The Dutch government also ran nationwide campaigns promoting adoption, highlighting the benefits of rescuing animals from hunger, neglect and abuse.

In a matter of months, over 70 per cent of female dogs were sterilised, drastically reducing the number of puppies born on the streets.

The Netherlands framed stray dog management as not only a public health concern but also a moral and ethical obligation.

Over a million dogs were adopted, rabies has been absent since 1923, and approximately 90 per cent of households now count a dog as a family member.

Could the Netherlands’ model work in Delhi?

Translating the Dutch experience to Delhi would require more than a change in law — it would demand a sustained public health campaign, large-scale infrastructure investment, and a shift in public attitudes toward adoption and responsible ownership.

The ABC approach in India already aligns with parts of the CNVR strategy used in the Netherlands. However, the execution in India has been inconsistent due to resource shortages, overcrowded shelters, and fragmented coordination between municipal bodies and animal welfare organisations.

Critics of the Supreme Court’s latest order argue that without expanding shelter capacity, veterinary services, and adoption incentives, relocation may only shift the problem from public streets to overcrowded facilities.

The Netherlands’ heavy taxation on pet store purchases could potentially be adapted for India, with proceeds directed toward sterilisation, vaccination, and shelter operations.

Likewise, dedicated animal welfare enforcement units — similar to the Dutch animal police — could strengthen the legal deterrent against abandonment and abuse, which remains common in India.

From a public health perspective, controlling stray populations is essential to reducing rabies cases.

The World Health Organisation recognises mass dog vaccination as the most effective measure for rabies control, but sterilisation campaigns are equally vital for long-term population reduction.

From an ethical standpoint, both the Bhutanese and Dutch models demonstrate that humane solutions are achievable when authorities and citizens work together.

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With inputs from agencies