Nationwide Stray Dog Crisis 5 Indian States May Follow Delhi’s Relocation Order

Stray Dogs or Public Safety? India’s Growing Battle Over Rabies and Relocation

A Supreme Court order to relocate all the stray dogs in Delhi-NCR has caused a firestorm. But the capital isn’t the only place in India currently in crisis. With 3.7 million dog bites reported in 2024 and rising rabies deaths, at least five states are discussing similar plans. 

As protests combine with demands for public safety, will India soon have no dogs on the street, or are we headed for chaos?  

Will the Delhi-NCR Case Inspire Other States to Follow?

On August 11, the Supreme Court ordered Delhi to relocate 1 million stray dogs to animal shelters in eight weeks, expressly because of rabies and to protect children from attack. Municipal authorities are mandated to build shelters with a 5,000 capacity, with CCTV cameras, sparking concerns that the shelters will be overcrowded and that safety among the dogs could deteriorate into fighting and killing one another.  

If this directive is followed, the ruling could serve as a guide for other states. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, all states with large populations of stray dogs and high bite numbers, are already reportedly drafting plans in light of the directions of the Supreme Court. Downloading enlightening data, Maharashtra revealed in its 2025 report that in January alone, there were 450,000 bites. 

Stray Dog Debate: Science, Safety, and Solutions

  • Animal rights groups deem the crackdown “inhumane and unscientific.” PETA India asserts that "Sterilization and vaccination"
  • (ABC programs) Reduced rabies cases to zero in Chennai by 2010. Yet, the Solicitor General stated in court, “Sterilization won’t remove the rabies--only relocation will.”

The Fundamental Conflict: 

  • Pro-relocation: Rabies kills 18,000-20,000 each year (WHO). 
  • Anti-relocation: Shelters have no space; 90% of strays/new canine community dogs in Delhi are vaccinated.

Stray Dogs Management: A Battle of Laws and Loyalties Across Indian States

  • Uttar Pradesh: 1.2 million strays in Lucknow and Kanpur; increasing incidents of attacks on pilgrims in Ayodhya.  
  • Karnataka: Bengaluru’s ABC program stalled after the pandemic; bites increased by 40% in 2025.  
  • West Bengal: Kolkata's community feeders protest after 12,000 dogs were culled in April.  
  • Legal issue: 2023 ABC Rules spelled out that sterilized dogs are returned to their territory. This is inconsistent with the SC's recent order.


Global Figurines And Local Backlash Sorry  

The Netherlands was euthanizing strays through wholesale sterilizations and fines for abandonment without shelters. Sri Lanka's crackdown before PM Modi visited in 2025 must have been something, bringing thousands to the streets in protest for cruel displacement.

In India, activist forewarnings about Black Hole of Calcutta-like shelters are hard to dismiss. However, with the parents of rabies victims calling for the government to act, the decisions ahead for both law and state will shape what India looks like on the streets.  

Stray Crisis: Can India Balance Safety & Comparison? 


With Delhi racing against its 8-week deadline, every state now has an impossible decision: protect scared people from stray dogs, or uphold India's sacred responsibility of caring for all sentient beings. Courts are issuing contradictory orders, and with no solutions that don’t end with euthanasia, one cruel reality is becoming evident - this is not just about dogs, but what kind of society India wants to be. Can a nation that reveres animals as forms of divinity also allow its streets to not be safe for children? Time is running out.