Delhi launches a major stray dog sterilisation and vaccination drive under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, after the Supreme Court’s order on humane stray dog management.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi government is preparing to launch one of the city’s largest sterilisation and vaccination campaigns for stray dogs, following recent directions from the Supreme Court. The ambitious initiative will be implemented under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, and is being positioned as a major step toward addressing the growing stray dog population in the national capital.
The drive lies in a commitment to humane and scientific methods. The campaign will see collaboration between government departments, NGOs, private veterinarians, and volunteers. Authorities emphasise that the strategy is not about removal or cruelty, but about controlling the population through sterilisation and ensuring public health through vaccination.
To this end, the Delhi government has held discussions with animal activists and lovers to ensure that welfare considerations remain central throughout the process.
Out of 78 government veterinary hospitals, 24 will be converted into dedicated vaccination centres. This decentralised approach aims to improve accessibility and efficiency, enabling the government to cover a larger section of Delhi’s vast stray dog population.
Delhi’s stray dog population has been a long-standing concern. According to the 2016 livestock census, the city had nearly 8 lakh (800,000) stray dogs. Officials believe the number has grown significantly since then, further intensifying the challenge.
This has raised two parallel concerns:
- Public Safety: Increasing incidents of dog bites and human-animal conflicts.
- Animal Welfare: Need for ethical, sustainable solutions rather than ad-hoc measures.
The urgency of the issue has been brought into focus by public debates, ‘India’s Dog Dilemma’, which highlighted the complexities of balancing safety, rights, and infrastructure.
The Delhi administration is studying the “Lucknow model” of stray dog management, which has been widely appreciated for its effectiveness. This model includes:
- Coordinated sterilisation and vaccination programmes
- Systematic tracking of sterilised dogs
- Post-operative care to ensure recovery
By adapting these methods to Delhi’s scale, officials hope to implement a sustainable, replicable system for managing the stray population.
What is Lucknow’s ABC Programme for Stray Dogs?
The Lucknow Municipal Corporation’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme has emerged as a national benchmark for stray dog management, recently endorsed by the Supreme Court as a humane alternative to mass removal.
Based on the “capture, sterilise, vaccinate, and release” model, the programme, launched in 2019, has sterilised and vaccinated over 84.3% of Lucknow’s stray dogs, surpassing the WHO’s 70% benchmark for rabies control. This has led to a sharp decline in stray dog birth rates and bite incidents, despite the overall population rising due to city expansion.
Daily operations involve 60–65 dogs, marked with ear notches after treatment. The initiative has been supported by NGOs, educational campaigns, and consistent municipal funding, even as costs rose from Rs 950 to Rs 1,250 per dog.
With the Supreme Court expanding its directive to a pan-India policy, Uttar Pradesh plans to replicate the Lucknow model across the state, with 17 ABC centres already active and more in the pipeline. A new training centre and the use of AI-enabled tracking will further strengthen operations.
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Despite challenges, such as rising dog bite complaints and tensions between public safety and animal rights, the Lucknow model stands as a data-driven, humane, and scalable solution for stray dog population management in India.
Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023
The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying has issued the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. These Rules supersede the Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules, 2001, and are issued under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, 1960.
Key Provisions of ABC Rules, 2023:
- Supersede ABC (Dog) Rules, 2001, issued under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
- Based on Supreme Court guidelines, which prohibit the relocation of stray dogs.
- Mandate sterilisation and immunisation through ABC programmes.
- Responsibility is assigned to local bodies, municipalities, corporations, and panchayats.
- Municipal Corporations to jointly implement ABC and Anti-Rabies Programmes.
- Emphasise humane, cruelty-free methods of sterilisation and conflict resolution.
Rabies Context:
- Rabies is a fatal but vaccine-preventable zoonotic viral disease, with 99% human transmission from dogs.
- India accounts for 36% of global rabies deaths, mainly affecting children under 15 years.
- Treatment: Vaccination of pets and timely medical care post-bite.
Initiatives:
- Global: United Against Rabies Forum aims for zero dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030.
- India: National Action Plan for Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination (NAPRE) 2030, aligned with WHO and GARC recommendations.
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