NEW DELHI: A forum of animal activists and experts working in the field of animal welfare on Friday conducted a media briefing at Delhi’s Press Club on India’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules and how it is the only legal method to control the stray dog population and the spread of rabies in the country. This comes amid uproar across the country after the Supreme Court directed the removal of stray dogs from public spaces.
Experts pointed out that the ABC Rules are not implemented in major areas across India. According to Dr Rajni Safaya, former professor at AIIMS (Delhi) and animal activist, “Dogs must remain where they are if the intent is to control the transmission of rabies.” She further pointed out that keeping animals in confinement is a big challenge that will have consequences across the public health system.
Another panellist present during the discussion, Sindhoor Pangal, a researcher at Free Living Dogs (Bengaluru), stressed that stabilising dog populations through the enforcement of ABC Rules reduces incidents of dog bites, the spread of diseases and conflict. “Dogs are not the problem, but the failure to implement the norms is.
ABC has not been implemented despite the Supreme Court issuing multiple orders in this regard,” she stated. Pangal, who is also an animal behaviour expert, rued, “Only non-government organisations recognised by the Animal Welfare Board of India are allowed to carry out ABC-related measures.
However, the numbers are insufficient.” Many activists view the latest Supreme Court order directing the removal of stray dogs from public spaces such as schools, hospitals and transport hubs as being antithetical to the ABC Rules. Experts also claimed that the data of dog bites cited by the top court from a news report filed on the basis of a Press Information Bureau release was not entirely correct.
“The dog bite data is incorrect. It is simply an estimate of the number of vaccines utilised or budgeted,” said Dr Ekta Jain, an epidemiologist and animal activist. The ABC Rules in India form the basis for humane management of the street dog population.
First notified in 2001 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the rules were revised most recently in 2023. These rules highlight the need for sterilisation, vaccination and coexistence rather than culling. Meanwhile, animal activists across the country have called for a protest demanding an immediate stay on the current directions mandating mass removal and confinement of stray dogs.
The protest will be held in the city’s Jantar Mantar area on Sunday and will witness participation of celebrities like Mohit Chauhan and Rahul Ram along with several animal welfare workers and public health experts.