The Supreme Court’s latest verdict on street dogs has refined its earlier stance of blanket removal, now focusing only on ‘aggressive’ and rabid animals. The ruling marks a crucial step toward balancing public safety with animal welfare and wildlife conservation, offering an opportunity to address both cruelty and chaos through better systems rather than fear-driven responses.
While much of the debate focuses on urban settings, experts say the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, must be equally applied in rural areas which not only face rabies risks but also hold most of India’s wildlife. Conservationists warn that unchecked dog populations in villages and protected area buffers are severely threatening biodiversity.
According to global studies, free-ranging dogs have already contributed to the extinction of 11 species and threaten nearly 188 more across the world. In India, dogs have preyed on blackbucks, nilgai, snow leopards, Great Indian Bustards, Olive Ridley turtles, and even lions in Gir National Park. In Ladakh, they’ve harassed or killed multiple species, from kiangs to marmots and Himalayan wolves.
However, experts caution that removal alone is not a sustainable solution. Non-implementation of ABC rules, along with illegal dumping of city dogs into rural zones and uncontrolled waste, continually replenishes dog populations, keeping rabies and predation risks alive. The Supreme Court’s earlier observation to “forget the rules” temporarily had also risked legitimizing non-compliance and arbitrary culling.
Under the Animal Welfare Board of India’s guidance, only dogs that “habitually bite or attack without provocation” and continue to do so after sterilization and observation can be classified as ‘aggressive’. Similar standards are used globally in the US, Canada, and Australia where even attacks on wildlife can warrant removal after documented evidence.
Experts recommend a structured approach: each village should form ABC committees including sarpanchs, health workers, veterinarians, forest guards, SHG members, and youth representatives. Mobile ABC units, baseline dog counts, and proper waste audits should be implemented under public-private partnerships. State governments could create 5–10 km-wide “ABC Rings” around key wildlife areas, ensuring at least 70% sterilization and vaccination coverage to curb both rabies and overpopulation.
Additionally, district teams must be trained for safe handling and monitoring of aggressive or rabid dogs, and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) should be available free of cost at all primary health centres.
Coexistence experts say, is possible through education and community engagement. Awareness about dog behaviour, supervised feeding in village cores, strict waste control near forests, and consistent ABC implementation can stabilise dog populations without harming wildlife.
The verdict, while narrowing its focus opens a path toward a humane and science-backed framework one that protects both people and animals while sustaining India’s rich biodiversity.