Stray Dog: Statistics related to stray dog bites and rabies in India; From China to Western countries, what are the rules?

After the decision given by the Supreme Court regarding stray dogs in Delhi-NCR, it is being discussed all over the country. From politicians to celebrities, everyone is commenting on the order of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, taking cognizance of the cases related to stray dog bites, ordered that all stray dogs should be removed from the streets of the country's capital and the cities around it within six to eight weeks. This order of the Supreme Court was for Delhi-NCR, although the implementation of this order is also being considered in some other states.

The bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan described the problems arising due to stray dogs as a huge threat and said that newborns and small children will have to be kept away from the risk of stray dog bites and rabies at any cost. This decision of the Supreme Court will be applicable in Delhi as well as Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram. That is, the administration has six to eight weeks to remove stray dogs from these cities.

Many questions have arisen in India regarding this decision. For example, how will such a campaign be run in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR)? From PETA to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, BJP leader Maneka Gandhi, Priyanka Chaturvedi, etc., leaders have commented on the Supreme Court order. Apart from this, many Bollywood celebrities have also raised questions about the court order and have demanded intervention from the central government.

In such a situation, it is important to know how big the problem related to stray dogs in India is. What has been the number of deaths due to dog bites and rabies in different years? And for which reasons do stray dogs cause deaths in India? Apart from this, which countries have had the problem of stray dogs, and what methods have been tried there to deal with them?

First, how big is the problem related to stray dogs in Delhi, India?

The latest figures of stray dogs in India are not available in the public domain. However, according to the data of the 20th Livestock Census conducted in 2019, 1.53 crore stray dogs were recorded across the country, which was slightly less than the 1.71 crore stray dogs in 2012. However, unofficially, their number is claimed to be between 6 crore and 6 crore 20 lakh.

According to the 2019 report, the number of stray dogs had increased in 17 states of India, including Maharashtra and Karnataka. Apart from this, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka were the states with the highest number of stray dogs. The surprising thing is that no record of stray dogs was found in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep, and Manipur. On the other hand, 69 stray dogs were recorded in Mizoram and 342 in Nagaland.

Talking about Delhi only, in 2019, a subcommittee constituted by the Delhi Legislative Assembly had estimated the number of stray dogs in the city to be close to eight lakh. At present, this number is estimated to cross 10 lakhs.

And for what reasons have stray dogs become a danger?

In a report released by Acko Insurance Company in 2022, it was reported that stray animals were a major cause of road accidents in six metros. The biggest reason for accidents caused by animals was dogs, which were responsible for 58 percent of the total accidents. After this, cows and buffalo (25.8%) were cited as the cause of road accidents caused by animals. The insurance company made this claim based on 1.27 lakh insurance claims, which were received by the company between January and June. It was said in this report that 1376 claims were for accidents caused by animals. Of these, 804 accidents were caused by dogs and 350 accidents were caused by cows, buffalo, and other creatures.

In which countries have stray dogs been a big problem, and what method was used to deal with them?

It is not that stray dogs have been a big problem only in India. From China-Thailand situated in the east of India to the western countries- Turkey-Netherlands, dealing with stray dogs has been a tough task for the government. However, vaccination, sterilization, registration, public education, and in some places, separate shelters for dogs have also been big means of dealing with this problem.

1. Netherlands

Generally, the Netherlands model is discussed everywhere to end the problem of stray dogs. However, the Netherlands achieved this success not in a few days or months but after decades of hard work. The problem of stray dogs emerged most in the Netherlands in the 19th and 20th centuries. Initially, the governments took steps like catching and imprisoning them and imposing taxes on those who left them helpless to control the number of stray dogs. However, these steps proved unsuccessful. After this, by the end of the 20th century, the Netherlands changed its technique. Under this

The effect of this was that there have been no cases of rabies in the Netherlands since 1923. Apart from this, dogs are part of the family in about 90 percent of the houses.

2. Thailand

Stray dogs were a big problem in Thailand's capital, Bangkok. However, between 2016 and 2023, monitoring of stray dogs was started in the city through mobile clinics, community campaigns, and data tracking. As a result, there was a decrease in dog bite cases. Not only this, but Thailand has also had great success in rabies control.

3. Bhutan

Bhutan is the first country in the world where all stray dogs are fully vaccinated and sterilized. In this country with a few thousand stray dogs, both programs were run simultaneously, so that the problems of the common people could be reduced as soon as possible.

5. Turkie

The most dangerous way to eliminate the problem of stray dogs was implemented by Turkey. After some attacks on common people by stray dogs in Turkey, a plan to kill dogs by poisoning them was implemented. It was later made a law, and the courts also implemented it. However, animal groups strongly criticize this rule.

Turkey tried to implement a program like the Netherlands' in 2004 itself. However, due to low funding, poor management, and corruption in the government, the entire plan failed, and the number of stray dogs increased. In 2024, Turkey introduced a controversial law. Under this, municipalities were allowed to catch stray dogs, and provision was made to keep them in a shelter where they could be sterilized and vaccinated. There is a rule to adopt some stray dogs, but there is also a rule to kill aggressive, sick, and incurable disease-stricken dogs.