Country Profile
Monitoring developments relating to street dog management in India
India is undergoing a significant change in the way free-roaming dogs are managed.
The Animal Birth Control Rules 2023 establish sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination as the foundation of street dog population management, with sterilised and vaccinated dogs ordinarily returned to the locality from which they were collected.
Court intervention has now made the position more complex.
The Supreme Court has maintained the wider Animal Birth Control framework while creating circumstances in which dogs removed from specified institutional locations are not returned. High Courts are overseeing implementation, municipalities are expanding ABC capacity and different approaches are beginning to emerge across the country.
Some authorities are strengthening sterilisation, vaccination and traceability. Others are developing additional shelter capacity and longer-term arrangements for dogs that cannot be returned.
India is therefore classified as a Crisis Zone on the Global Stray Dog Crisis Map while Dog Desk Animal Action monitors how these policies are implemented and, critically, what happens to dogs once they enter the system.
INDIA: STREET DOG POLICY AT A CROSSROADS
Briefing Paper 1 August 2026
Sterilisation, Vaccination, Confinement And The Question Of What Happens Next
India’s street dog management system is changing.
Our first India briefing paper examines the Animal Birth Control framework, recent Supreme Court intervention, the growing role of the High Courts and the different models now emerging at municipal level.
It examines developments in Maharashtra, Delhi, Gorakhpur, Belagavi, Kapurthala and Mumbai, including sterilisation expansion, neighbourhood ABC programmes, microchipping, digital records and proposals for long-term shelter care.
At the centre of the paper is one question:
If dogs are collected and cannot be returned, can every individual dog still be accounted for afterwards?
WHY WE ARE MONITORING INDIA
India has the opportunity to strengthen a large-scale system based on sterilisation, vaccination, population management and increasingly sophisticated forms of traceability.
But permanent removal creates different responsibilities.
Once a dog is taken from a public location and placed elsewhere, collection numbers alone are not enough. Where the dog went, how long they remained there and their eventual outcome become part of measuring whether the policy is humane and effective.
Removal is an action. It is not an outcome.
Sources & References
The India Country Profile and associated briefing papers are based on a combination of court documents, legislation, government and municipal information, official data, published reporting and other publicly available material relating to street dog management in India.
Information is assessed alongside developments documented through the Global Stray Dog Crisis Map Project.
Evidence Types Considered
- Supreme Court and High Court judgments and directions
- Legislation and Animal Birth Control Rules
- Central, State and municipal government information
- Official population and public-health data
- Municipal programme and procurement information
- Published news reports
- Public statements
- Animal welfare reporting and documentation
Important Note
Dog Desk Animal Action does not conduct law enforcement investigations and cannot independently verify every reported incident or claim.
Where information originates from media reporting, animal welfare organisations, campaigners or other third parties, it is presented within that context.
The purpose of the India Country Profile is to document developments in street dog management, examine how policy is being implemented and identify emerging issues relating to animal welfare, population management, public health, confinement, transparency and accountability.
Seeking Clarification From Authorities
Dog Desk Animal Action contacts relevant authorities where developments in India raise questions requiring clarification, evidence or further information.
