The Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organizations (FIAPO) has strongly criticized a recent Supreme Court judgment that said all stray canines in Delhi-NCR must be removed and taken to shelters. FIAPO, a major animal rights group, called the decision “shocking” and said it not only breaks the law but also puts public health and safety at great danger.
FIAPO’s official statement pointed out a number of serious problems with the supreme court’s order. The group says that moving stray dogs against their will goes against Delhi’s current, evidence-based policies for controlling rabies. The statement said, “Moving dogs breaks up stable, disease-protected populations, disrupts existing vaccination coverage, and causes the ‘vacuum effect,’ where new, unvaccinated dogs quickly move in.” FIAPO says that this could cause rabies to come back, which would be a much worse concern than what is happening now.
FIAPO further says that the Supreme Court’s judgment goes against the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules of 2003, which is a national statute that follows the World Health Organization’s (WHO) advice. The new directive makes it clear that these rules don’t allow dogs who have been sterilized and vaccinated to go back to their native areas. The ABC Rules have been changed to the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. These rules also make it clear that stray dogs should not be moved.
The group that protects animals also said that putting a lot of healthy, vaccinated canines in one place was “inhumane.” They say that animals in congested places get very stressed, hurt, and sick. More importantly, they think that this method takes valuable resources away from the best and most compassionate treatments, which are mass immunization and sterilization initiatives together with community involvement.
FIAPO’s statement implied that the main problem is not a lack of resources but a lack of political will. The group said that India has successfully run huge public health campaigns, like the pulse polio program. They also said that a similar, well-funded effort to sterilize and vaccinate stray dogs is possible. They said that wealthy people would be eager to invest if the government showed that it was serious about following the rules.
The Supreme Court’s ruling, which came down on Monday, says that all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR must be picked up and put in shelters within eight weeks. The court started a suo motu lawsuit on the problem and told city officials to make sure there are enough places for dogs to stay. It also made it plain that no stray dogs should be sent back out onto the streets. This decision has caused a big argument all around the country, with people arguing about public safety, animal welfare, and the law.