SC crackdown on stray dog menace: How other nations tackled the problem

From the Netherlands to China, nations have curbed stray dog problem through sustained vaccination, sterilisation, and strict ownership laws - offering lessons for India

The Supreme Court on Monday, August 11, ordered that all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR must be shifted away from residential localities and any organisation that blocks this exercise will face strict action. The court’s order comes amid a rise in dog bite cases and rabies deaths.

 

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan took suo motu cognisance of a news report on rising rabies deaths. The court strictly said it will hear arguments only from the Centre, excluding petitions from dog lovers or other parties.

 

Authorities in Delhi-NCR have been directed to build shelters, relocate dogs, and update the court. The shelters must employ professionals for handling, sterilisation, and vaccination, and have CCTVs installed to prevent escapes. Civic bodies must set up a helpline for bite cases and round up all dogs, whether sterilised or not.

 

 

How canines were tamed globally

 

Globally, the proven formula is a mix of vaccination, sterilisation, registration, public education, and large-scale sheltering or in some cases, euthanasia. Public health benchmarks suggest around 70 per cent vaccination coverage and high sterilisation rates are needed to stop rabies and stabilise populations.

 

Out of all the examples, the case of Netherlands is often cited as the most humane manner of dealing with street dogs. The Netherlands’ success came over decades through dense animal-control networks, strict ownership laws, adoption incentives and a national catch-neuter-vaccinate-return (CNVR) programme. Most dogs became owned, microchipped or sheltered. The transformation was gradual, built on steady investment in shelters, adoption systems and enforcement.

 

Thailand and Bhutan: Mass sterilisation and vaccination

 

Greater Bangkok sterilised and vaccinated hundreds of thousands of dogs between 2016 and 2023 via mobile clinics, community engagement and data tracking, leading to fewer bites and better rabies control where coverage was sustained.

 

Bhutan is the first country in the world to sterilise and vaccinate 100 per cent of its stray dog population. A small nation with tens of thousands of dogs, it treated control as a public-health priority, combining vaccination, sterilisation and awareness in urban and border areas.

 

How China tackled rabies and stray dogs

 

China prioritised rabies elimination with mass vaccination, compulsory registration, online reporting and enforcement of 'civilised dog-keeping' rules. Since 2014, Beijing implemented mass mandatory rabies vaccination, established 664 sites, and paired it with anonymous reporting and educational programs. By 2023, vaccine antibody rates among dogs reached 80-86 per cent in urban Beijing, with official reports of zero human rabies cases since 2021.

 

Controversial measures: Turkiye’s euthanasia law

 

Countries such as Turkiye have resorted to mass removals or euthanasia after high-profile attacks. Turkiye's recent law allows large-scale roundups and euthanasia, upheld by courts but criticised by welfare groups.

 

Historically, Turkiye implemented a CNVR program starting in 2004, which aimed to humanely manage the stray dog issue through sterilisation and vaccination. However, this program suffered from underfunding, poor management, and insufficient scale, leading to continued population growth and associated problems.

 

In 2024, Turkiye introduced a controversial new law that replaced the previous CNVR approach. This law mandates municipalities to capture stray dogs and keep them in shelters where they must be sterilised and vaccinated. Strays are to be offered for adoption, but euthanasia is allowed for dogs deemed aggressive, ill, or untreatable.

 

Evidence, however, suggests such measures offer only temporary relief if abandonment, low vaccination and poor waste management persist.

 

How does India’s infrastructure compare to the world?

 

India’s national ABC Rules and history of sterilisation/vaccination drives have produced progress in places like Meghalaya, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Jaipur and Jodhpur. But coverage is patchy, and many municipalities lack veterinary capacity.

 

In Chennai, only 27 per cent of the 181,000 stray dogs were sterilised in 2024, according to a report by The Times of India. Delhi has about 1 million strays, with 470,000 sterilised in 2023. Twenty-one centres run by 13 NGOs can handle 10,000 surgeries daily, but actual figures fall short, according to another report published in The Times of India in July 2025.

 

The Supreme Court’s order marks a decisive shift in India’s approach to the stray dog crisis, prioritising public safety over sentiment but concerns of animal activists remain.