Over a million dogs in India were facing death or lifelong confinement after two shocking court orders demanded the removal of all homeless dogs from the streets. With no proper shelters built and little funding available, it would have meant cramming countless dogs into unsafe, overcrowded facilities, which would have been a certain death sentence.

There was an outpouring of opposition from dog lovers across India, including from a host of celebrities like Raveena Tandon, Rupali Ganguly, Randeep Hooda, and Vir Das, who all spoke out. Our partner IDA India led by example, calling for better-managed Animal Birth Control programs like the one they run to successfully address conflicts with people and lower the population of homeless dogs and cats.

It started on August 11, 2025, when the Supreme Court of India ordered all localities in Delhi and the surrounding suburbs of Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad to remove street dogs. Although there may be as many as a million dogs, the court gave eight weeks to round them up and contain them in shelters that had largely yet to be built and still needed funding.

Soon after, the Rajasthan High Court directed its municipal bodies to start removing stray dogs.

The decisions were at odds with current laws, including the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, which require stray dogs to be trapped, vaccinated, sterilized, and then returned (TNVR) to the places where they were picked up. 

Complaints and fears of dogs attacking people and spreading rabies have prompted the rulings. The disease is endemic in India and accounts for 36% of global rabies deaths. While there have been troubling incidents, including one where a child contracted rabies and died this summer, the mass removal or killing of stray dogs is neither practical, ethical, nor effective in the long run — a fact acknowledged by the World Health Organization and proven by many areas like neighboring Bhutan.

IDA India, which works in Mumbai and the surrounding areas of Navi Mumbai, Panvel, and Lonavala, sterilizes nearly 8,000 dogs and countless cats every year. They used to do thousands more, but they have been so effective that unsterilized dogs in these areas are now harder to come by. Even though the numbers have come down, it’s more important than ever not to stop ABC.

The determination that IDA India’s founders had 28 years ago to turn a place used for killing dogs into what is now its thriving Deonar Center in Mumbai is what’s needed now across the spectrum, including municipalities, non-profits, and compassionate caretakers who look after these dogs and bring them in to get spayed/neutered. 

Fortunately, the backlash to the Supreme Court’s order was swift and widespread; it resulted in a new ruling on August 22 that applies to the entire country, clarifying that stray dogs need to be sterilized, vaccinated, and released back to the same area. 

Only those found to be rabid or overly aggressive would be non-releasable. While clarification is needed on labeling dogs as aggressive, it’s a positive step. The new ruling also bans the distribution of food in public spaces and calls instead for making designated areas for feeding.

Three municipal corporations give support through infrastructure and funds for IDA India’s ABC and vaccination program. While government support has been forthcoming, public donations are still needed to cover the entire balance. Government funding covers a portion of the cost for each animal, making funding from In Defense of Animals supporters so vital. Without effective TNVR programs like IDA India’s, governments soon return to ineffective and cruel killing campaigns. Even with the new ruling, more compassion and education are also needed to stop attacks against both dogs and caretakers who have been, and are being, attacked due to rising tensions over this issue. 

While India’s dogs have been granted a reprieve and much awareness has been raised about how important ABC and TNVR are to humanely coexist with homeless dogs, this issue is playing out for both dogs and cats with horrific consequences in other areas, including Türkiye and Morocco.

Countless animals have been, and continue to be, killed in the most heartbreaking, inhumane ways, despite pleas to stop the massacres taking place. These areas, and others that resort to archaic mass killings, need to look to places like Mumbai that are successfully dealing with the issue to protect both dogs and their community. 

How You Can Help

Please sign and share our alert to stop Türkiye’s gruesome mass killing of 4 million homeless dogs and cats, and our alert calling for an end to the killing in Morocco.

You can also make a donation to support IDA India’s lifesaving work.