Stray dog ruling puts states to the test

The Supreme Court's order to all states and Union Territories to remove stray dogs from every school, hospital, public sports complex, bus stand and railway station is a landmark intervention, but its compliance is no walk in the park. The SC directive makes it clear that stray dogs picked up and removed from these premises and relocated to designated shelters shall not be released back after sterilisation to the same location from where they were picked up. The apex court insisted that releasing the stray dogs back to the same place would frustrate the very purpose of liberating the premises of these institutions from the presence of stray dogs. The execution of the apex court directive will require all states to undertake a survey of all these institutions over the next two weeks and secure the premises with boundary walls and fences within eight weeks. Apart from the creation of dog-friendly shelters, the arrangement for their care and feeding also needs to be comprehensive so that relocated stray dogs are treated humanely. While the SC order is intended to make these public premises safe for children and other sections of the society, the states face the logistical challenge to align it with the 'Revised Animal Birth Control Module for Street Dog Population Management, Rabies Eradication, Reducing Man-Dog Conflict' issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India in March for carrying out sterilisation procedures safely and humanely. Most states, and more particularly the municipal corporations and local bodies, lack adequate and trained staff, resources and infrastructure, which will make administrative compliance an uphill task. The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, provide for sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs to control the stray dog population, to prevent rabies and to reduce man-dog conflict. Failure on the part of the government to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Programme's effectiveness in controlling the stray dog population allowed the situation to precipitate, leading to an alarming rise in incidents of dog bites across the country, prompting the SC to act suo moto.  Several mandatory provisions, including Animal Birth Control Project Recognition for each project, the constitution of Monitoring and Implementation Committees at the Central, State, and local levels, and other regulatory measures remained mostly on paper even after animal rights activists flagged the issues. The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), in a communique to state chief secretaries, police chiefs, state Animal Welfare Boards, district magistrates and municipal commissioners of all states in 2022, emphasised that indigenous dog breeds of India are naturally healthy and well-adjusted to the local climate and are found on the streets fending for themselves. It insisted that there are numerous indigenous dogs on the streets and in shelters across the country which make excellent pets, for their exceptional qualities. The Standard Protocol for Adoption of Community Dogs issued by AWBI lists a number of protocols which must be followed for adopting dogs/pups from shelters of Animal Welfare Organisations (AWO) recognised by the AWBI or State Animal Welfare Board by issuing adoption certificates. The technicalities being complicated, such protocols remained confined mostly to well-informed animal lovers and animal rights activists. The communities in areas where street dogs are found, on the other hand, remained unaware of the guidelines and protocols - be it related to anti-rabies vaccination, sterilisation or adoption of community dogs. The lack of awareness in the community is seen as a collective failure of the administration, AWBI, state animal welfare boards, or even animal rights activists. The protocol for adoption of community dogs requires the person adopting the dog/pup to take it for a veterinary check-up and ensure vaccinations, parasite control, deworming or any other necessary medical treatment, and if the animal has attained maturity, it must be spayed/neutered prior to adoption. The pertinent question that has no easy answer is if removal of stray dogs from institutional premises can effectively put an end to the problem of the return of stray dogs outside the secured peripheral boundaries. The AWBI view is that "In countries such as India, where exposed garbage and slums encourage the existence of street dogs, killing or removing them has proved ineffective in controlling rabies or the dog population. This is because the street dogs that are removed or killed are easily replaced with new dogs from other territories." Nevertheless, the SC's big order is an unequivocal message to all states that preventing incidents of dog bites in public spaces is not just about human safety - it is also essential for the safety of stray dogs. As the local bodies are mandated by the Constitution to control stray dog populations, building their capacity for effectiveness is critical to the compliance of the SC directive by the states. Collaboration between local bodies, animal rights activists, and animal lovers, backed by state government, can pave the way for pragmatic solutions.