Understanding the stray animal crisis in India, and how other countries have intervened | Explained news

A three-judge bench, Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Angaria, on November 7 directed that its directions be “Implemented uniformly “Across India” with “status compliance certificates within a period of eight weeks”. It specified that “stray dogs picked up in this manner may not be returned to the same location from which they were picked up.”

The current ruling assumes significance given India’s status as home to one of the largest cat and dog populations in the world, and thus one of the largest stray populations on the planet. In a comparison of 20 countries, India ranked among the countries with the highest rates of homelessness (69%), matching Greece but slightly lower than Indonesia’s 76%. Globally, there are an estimated 155 million homeless dogs and 207 million homeless cats.

Here’s what you should know.

Why did the Supreme Court order this?

India’s stray animal crisis has become a serious public health problem. The 2025 report from the State of Pet Homelessness Project estimates that the country has 100.09 million cats and dogs, including 85.61 million dogs and 14.48 million cats.

According to the report, the majority of this population – 71% of India’s dogs and 61% of India’s cats – are homeless. Among them, about 52.5 million dogs and 8 million cats roam as strays, while 8 million dogs and 800,000 cats live in shelters.

The Federal Ministry of Health recorded 3.7 million dog bite cases in 2024 alone. According to official data, 99% of rabies deaths in India are caused by dog ​​bites. Rabies, if untreated, is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, leading to either violent or paralytic forms of the disease.

How is India currently dealing with its need?

The current legal framework for the management of street animals in India is the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023. The rules require local bodies – including municipalities and panchayats – to implement sterilization and vaccination programs for stray dogs and cats through organizations approved by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).

The process must be humane, ensuring no cruelty during captivity, surgery or release. This policy follows the “catch, castrate, vaccinate and return” (CNVR) method, which prohibits the transport of animals outside their native areas to maintain ecological balance and reduce aggression between herds.

The rules also set minimum standards for animal birth control centres, including adequate capacity to keep dogs and access to veterinary hospitals run by local authorities or animal welfare groups.

We have explained what the Supreme Court directed in its recent order of 7 November and how this differs from its interim order of 22 August here.

How did other countries deal with this issue?

Around the world, countries have passed strict legislation and systematic sterilization programs to manage stray populations.

In Greece, pet owners are legally required to neuter or spay their adult animals or submit a genetic sample to a central database if they refuse. Municipalities are mandated to implement operational programs to capture, process, sterilize, register and rehome stray animals. Animals that have not been adopted after three months can be released back to their home areas, provided they are microchipped, registered, and in good health. These municipal efforts are funded by the Greek government, and non-compliance can lead to state intervention – making the program one of the strongest animal welfare systems in Europe.

Meanwhile, Cyprus applies a “dog law”, which requires all dogs over two months old to be licensed. Local authorities are legally responsible for managing stray animals. Captured dogs are detained for 15 days, during which their owners can reclaim them by paying fines. Unclaimed dogs are either rehomed or, as a last resort, humanely euthanized under veterinary supervision.

However, Cyprus lacks a similar law for cats. The island’s feral cat population has exploded, with estimates at one cat for every resident. Animal rights activists warn that the government’s sterilization program – which is limited to 2,000 procedures a year with a budget of €100,000 – is too small to make any impact.

Then there is the Netherlands, which is often hailed as the only country without stray dogs. Its success dates back to 1864, when it founded the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals, the first voluntary animal protection agency. Today, Dutch cities impose taxes on purchased dogs to encourage adoptions, while the government runs the CVNR (Collect, Castrate, Vaccinate and Return) program to control animal populations and stop diseases such as rabies. The Netherlands also has a police force dedicated to animals.