Delhi divided the food of stray dogs after the ordinance of the Supreme Court

A few days after an order of the court of India put the question of stray dogs in Delhi under the spotlight, the tensions increased in the city. Animal enthusiasts say they face hostility and sometimes even violence to take care of the wanders, while people who believe that dogs should be out of the street support that they can be aggressive and dangerous.

Megha Malhotra has fueled stray dogs in her residential complex for almost two years.

Each evening, she places food at a temporary power location near the exit door of her building. “I like to take care of them and feed them,” she said.

But in recent weeks, she has felt growing discomfort among residents each time she turns food. Some even confronted her, insisting so that she stops nourishing animals, she said.

Ms. Malhotra says she usually prefers to stay calm in such situations. But recently, there were cases where she had to be firmer.

Such confrontations become frequent in Delhi and in many Indian cities while civic authorities are struggling with a rapidly growing population of stray dogs. Those who nourish dogs do it by compassion, and those who oppose them cite an increasing number of bites and dog attacks, some of which have also been fatal.

Animal lovers argue that a large part of the confusion stems from a recent ordinance of the Supreme Court which has rekindled a polarizing debate: how should India manage its population of stray dogs in densely populated cities?

In August, the court modified its previous directive requiring that all the stray dogs of Delhi be transferred to shelters. Rather, he decided that dogs should be captured, vaccinated, sterilized and returned to their neighborhood – but with a warning, aggressive dogs and those that transport the rage must be transferred to shelters.

The court also forbidden to feed errors in public spaces and asked the civic authorities to designate specific areas where dogs can receive food.

But some residents have interpreted this as a general ban on nourishing dogs.

The caregivers of longtime dogs allege that they are harassed, assaulted and threatened, often by their own neighbors, who now believe that feeding the wanders is illegal. In some cases, residents have tried to chase dogs to feed stains to discourage people from providing them with food.

“There is fear in the minds of people (which the dog would attack them). What they don’t get is that these animals just need love and care,” said Ms. Malhotra.

Wandering dogs are a familiar presence in Indian cities, in particular in Delhi, which should have nearly a million sewers – although there has been no official accounts carried out in the last decade.

Most of these dogs are not considered wild. They are rather treated as “community animals”, living alongside people and relying on them for food. From colonies closed to the roadside tea stands, they are woven in the fabric of daily urban life.

However, a growing number of people in Delhi and its satellite cities say they fear dog bites and argue that wanders compromise safety and sanitation around their homes and public places. Packages of stray dogs can often be seen chasing children and the elderly.

“My husband and I are afraid of sending our children to play without supervision. What’s going on if a dog biting them? Who will be responsible?” said Chetna Singh, a North Delhi resident.

Government data shows that there were 3.7 million cases reported in dog bites across the country in 2024, more than 25,000 of which were reported to Delhi.

Despite a large number of stray dogs, India has no global policy to manage them beyond the animal birth control program (ABC), which aims to reduce the aggression and the population by sterilization and vaccination.

In Delhi in particular, there are 25 ABC centers which operate under a simple mandate: sterilize and vaccinate stray dogs, then return them in their original neighborhoods. These centers are however overloaded and are often faced with challenges to obtain funds for transparent operations.

Meanwhile, Delhi municipal officials would have started working on identifying places to feed dogs in accordance with the court order.

The Hindustan Times newspaper reported that the Stray Dogs subcommittee has decided that sanitation workers in each area would work with residential social protection associations to identify these spots.

The BBC contacted the mayor’s office and wrote to municipal officials to comment but did not receive an answer.

Activists say that the authorities must move quickly to the creation of these spaces, while ensuring that the feeders are not attacked in the meantime.

“The feeders have never been the problem. They are an important part of the solution,” said activist Ambika Shukla. “They are the ones who ensure that dogs are sterilized and vaccinated. They are the ones who manage them gentle.”

The shelters agree. The staff of the Woof district, an NGO based in Delhi, says that sterilization discs are much more effective when local caregivers are involved.

“The feeders help us to identify dogs, and their presence facilitates recovering and loading them in vans. Most of the time, we don’t even need bags or strings,” explains Deepak Nagar, who manages operations in the refuge.

In the absence of a clear strategy to deal with the problem, experts believe that sterilization and vaccination remain the best long -term solutions to contain the Delhi dog population.

“Sterilization is the only way to follow,” said Shukla, adding that the method has also helped reduce rabies compared to the previous decade.

However, experts claim that at least 70% of stray dogs in an area should be sterilized to break the reproduction cycle and effectively reduce their population.

For feeders like Ms. Malhotra, the debate concerns more than simple figures. It is consciousness and coexistence.

“One side must understand that animals need compassion, no sticks and cages. The other side (those who feed) should also be more responsible. Food must be placed in a secure corner, not in front of elevators or doors,” she said.

“The solution is between compassion and prudence.”

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