If there is a vast section of society that considers stray dogs a menace and a threat to public safety, this week showed that there is an equally large section that is ready to defend them as a symbol of unconditional love and companionship.
The Supreme Court’s unprecedented 11 August order directing authorities to round up all the stray dogs of Delhi-NCR and put them in shelters within eight weeks has once again put the limelight on this urban human-animal conflict. And that is why it is ThePrint’s Newsmaker of the Week.
A bench of Justices Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said it was issuing the directions “as a court which functions for the welfare of the people”.
“This is not personal,” the bench emphasised.
While several Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) lauded the order, animal welfare groups are seething. In the last few days, they have taken to the streets to protest, saying the Supreme Court order is not just extremely inhumane, but also unachievable.
After animal welfare groups approached Chief Justice of India BR Gavai seeking relief, he referred the matter to a larger bench of the SC. The bench reserved its order on the matter Thursday.
The last time this matter flared up was when Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, in a very similar directive in April, called for the relocation of stray dogs in the capital. It also bubbled up when the Supreme Court stayed a Delhi High Court ruling that stray dogs have a right to food, and citizens the right to feed them. It later upheld the HC’s order, vacating the stay.
But never has the issue of stray dogs become as heated as it has today.
Among those opposing the move are prominent personalities such as Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, BJP leaders Maneka and Varun Gandhi, actors such as Sharmila Tagore, Simi Garewal, John Abraham, as well as author Suhel Seth and comedian Vir Das. But one of the loudest voices of protest is coming from animal welfare organisations that are intimately involved in the NCR region’s sterilisation efforts, who have branded the order as an unscientific, throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater move.
Those applauding the Supreme Court’s 11 August order have cited public safety, rising bite cases, and rabies deaths as the main reasons. They say that because of the sheer population of stray dogs in the region, stepping onto the streets has become risky business, with children and the elderly especially vulnerable to dog attacks.
Also read: Biting terror, doggone dilemma, urban menace. Indian TV war over Delhi street dogs
A deeply flawed system
The Supreme Court pronounced this order suo motu following Times of India report headlined ‘City hounded by strays, kids pay price’. Animal welfare groups say it is an angry, knee-jerk reaction.
Their argument is that the top court has lit a match in a system that is already deeply flawed, and it is the dogs that will ultimately pay the price. There are an estimated 10 lakh stray dogs in Delhi-NCR itself. And even if you put a hundred stray dogs—vaccinated or not, sterilised or not—in confined spaces, they will either die of disease, territorial fights, or starvation.
The solution, they say, is to fix the poorly implemented Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. Animal welfare groups running ABC centres say they are struggling for funds and grappling with poor infrastructure. Some of the centres run by MCD tell horror stories of cruelty to animals—rusted and filthy food and water bowls, sick dogs, broken fans, mounds of faeces and rivulets of urine.
Ambika Shukla, a trustee at People for Animals (PFA), said there is a simple solution—hand over the ABC programme to the animal welfare community. “The MCD does not know what it is doing. Its employees have no proper training, no motivation, and most do not care for animals. Let the animal welfare community do this work. We will do it with joy and perseverance. We will follow the dog from morning to night (to ensure humane capture for sterilisation). The community will work with the authorities in a parallel, not subordinate capacity. Regular evaluations of the progress can be conducted.”
At least one rescue group in Delhi has submitted to the authorities detailed proposals for how the ABC programme should be run for maximum efficiency, looking at successful models followed in other countries.
Another Delhi-based animal welfarist told ThePrint that former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi would be a capable administrator if handed this programme. “She is from the ruling party, she has experience and domain knowledge.”
Also read: SC’s stray dog order fails Delhi. Courtroom absolutes don’t solve bad policy
‘Can’t step out of our homes’
BS Vohra, head of the East Delhi RWAs Joint Front, said whether enforceable or not, the Supreme Court’s 11 August order will at least “send a message” to the MCD and to animal lovers, that a serious problem does exist.
“The situation has become such that we cannot go out of our homes. You can travel in a car, but try riding a scooty in our lanes? I am a dog lover too, I had a pet who lived for many years. But everyone must realise that the problem has really gotten out of hand. For most people, taking those multiple anti-rabies shots is extremely painful and traumatic. We will stand with the dog lovers, but not at the cost of human safety,” he told ThePrint.
Other prominent voices who have come out in support of the order include Congress’ P Chidambaram, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, singer Rahul Vaidya.
The reasons of those who don’t like stray dogs are clear—bites, rabies, and some say ‘they are dirty’.
But what of the other side? Why has the otherwise deeply divided, constantly squabbling animal welfare community suddenly risen as a united front? What is it about the stray dog?
“Dogs touch an emotional chord. To us, dogs are people. Those of us who feed and care for them, we know all the little things about them—yeh dog ulta hoke sota hai (like this dog likes to sleep on its back), that one likes a particular type of food. We are familiar, for them we are safe,” said Shukla.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)