Geline Salac

Rising dog attacks force Delhi to round up hundreds of thousands of stray dogs

Article (news)

Reuters Wires

India is at a crossroad as love for paws among conservationists clashes with the interests of those who have been at the receiving end of dog bites.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/8/11/dahil-sa-dami-ng-dog-bites-libo-libong-asong-gala-pinahuhuli-sa-delhi-1942">Dahil sa dami ng dog attacks, libo-libong asong gala pinahuhuli sa Delhi</a></div>Alarmed by rising cases of dog bites, especially among children, India&#x27;s top court ordered authorities in the capital Delhi and its suburbs on Monday (August 11) to relocate all stray dogs to shelters within eight weeks. In one of Delhi&#x27;s slums, Arjun Sen, father of a 12-year-old boy, who was gravely injured after being bitten by a dog and whose identity has not been revealed, welcomed the decision of the top court.&quot;The dogs should be removed from our locality as soon as possible and sent to wherever they are supposed to be sent so that others do not face this problem”, Sen said.The Indian government said in April that nearly 430,000 cases of dog bites had been reported across the country in January, compared with 3.7 million cases all through 2024. <div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xabWKzZsL6U?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>However, animal welfare activists and conservationists are  criticizing the top court’s ruling, citing lack of infrastructure.&quot;There are no shelters which can handle thousands of street dogs of Delhi, let alone Delhi NCR (Northern Capital Region)”, said co-founder and vice president at Friendicoes Society for the Eradication of Cruelty to Animals, Geeta Sheshamani. Doctors say cases of dog bites have increased among younger age groups but cases of rabies are rare. &quot;People are aware of vaccination, so rabies infection is not that common. But yes, cases of dog bites have gone up”, said head of the department of infectious diseases at Manipal Hospital, Ankita Baidya.India has 52.5 million stray dogs, according to a State of Pet Homelessness survey by Mars Petcare, while 8 million homeless dogs are in shelters.Local media reports suggest that Delhi alone has 1 million stray dogs. Reuters could not independently verify the number.India&#x27;s top court took up the case after several reports in local media of stray dogs biting children in Delhi, with some turning fatal.(Production credits: Ram Kushwaha, Ramesh Kumar Choudhary, Vishnurupa Paryath, Swagatam Roy, Shivangi Singh, Bernat Parera)

India is at a crossroad as love for paws among conservationists clashes with the interests of those who have been at the receiving end of dog bites.

India is at a crossroad as love for paws among conservationists clashes with the interests of those who have been at the receiving end of dog bites.

Rising dog attacks force Delhi to round up hundreds of thousands of stray dogs

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Rising dog attacks force Delhi to round up hundreds of thousands of stray dogs

Reuters

Published Aug 13, 2025 08:42 AM PHT

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rabies

delhi

india

dog attacks

dog bites

stray dogs

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