Barking Rights & Mooing Laws: Animals in the City

In August 2025, the Supreme Court issued orders mandating stray dog removal to shelters, driven by public safety concerns and India’s high rabies burden (approximately 20,000 human deaths annually, per WHO estimates). This sparked intense public backlash from animal welfare groups, feeders, and residents, fearing cruelty or mass culling. The Court then modified its stance, allowing sterilized and vaccinated dogs to return to their original localities while prohibiting public feeding to reduce nuisance and health risks. Designated feeding zones were introduced to balance compassion with urban order. 

Such incidents reflect ongoing challenges in managing stray dogs and cattle amid public health, safety, animal welfare, and cultural considerations in India’s densely populated cities.

What laws govern Stray Dog Management in India?

Stray dog control is governed by the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (PCA Act) and the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 (ABC Rules), updated in 2023. The humane “sterilisation–vaccination–release” model underpins this framework, replacing inhumane culling with a scientific approach to population control and rabies prevention. Municipalities, collaborating with animal welfare organizations, capture strays using humane methods (nets, avoiding nooses), sterilize them to curb breeding, and vaccinate against rabies—a critical measure given India’s rabies endemicity.

Post-surgery, dogs are released to their capture sites. Sterilized packs deter unsterilized intruders, gradually reducing population density without relocating issues to new areas. This addresses exponential stray growth and public health threats. The PCA Act and ABC Rules prohibit killing, poisoning, or mass relocation, deeming them cruel and ineffective. Exceptions allow humane euthanasia for rabid, terminally ill, or incurably injured dogs, certified by veterinarians.

The 2023 Rules mandate local bodies (municipalities, panchayats, cantonments) to establish animal birth control centers, ambulances, and trained dog-catching squads. Monitoring committees—comprising officials, veterinarians, and welfare representatives—ensure transparency and compliance. Detailed protocols cover humane catching, surgical standards, post-operative care, and regulated community feeding in designated zones to minimize conflicts between residents fearing bites and feeders advocating compassion.

There are still challenges, such as insufficient funding, weak municipal infrastructure, and social tensions between residents and feeders. The Supreme Court’s modified orders align with this framework, emphasizing release of treated dogs and structured feeding to prevent public obstruction, reinforcing national policy favoring sustainable, humane coexistence over extermination.

What is  the law on Cattle Management in India?

Cattle management integrates constitutional mandates, colonial-era laws, state-specific regulations, and municipal enforcement, balancing agricultural utility, cultural reverence, and urban order. Article 48 (Directive Principles) directs states to improve cattle breeds and prohibit slaughter of cows, calves, and milch/draught cattle, reflecting economic and cultural priorities. The Cattle Trespass Act, 1871, authorizes seizure and impoundment of strays causing crop damage, traffic hazards, or public nuisance. Owners pay fines or compensation for release, deterring negligence.

State laws add regional nuance: Delhi’s Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act, 1994 restricts slaughter and transport; Maharashtra’s Animal Preservation Act, 1976 limits slaughter of specific cattle, regulating sale and movement. Variations reflect local cultural-economic contexts, stricter in cow-belt states. The PCA Act bolsters welfare: Section 11(1)(h) penalizes abandonment causing suffering; Sections 35 and 38 support shelters for sick or old cattle. Urban municipalities impound roaming cattle to mitigate traffic, sanitation, and safety issues, tying release to penalties. While the ABC Rules target dogs, their sterilization model informs broader stray management discussions, though cattle management prioritizes impoundment due to their economic and cultural value.

What does the Constitutional say about Animal Rights?

Article 48A of the Constitution mandates protection of the environment and wildlife. Article 51A(g) imposes a citizen’s duty to show compassion for living creatures. 

The PCA Act operationalizes this throughSection 3, which prevents unnecessary suffering. Section 11 penalizes cruelties like beating, overloading, confinement, and abandonment, with fines or imprisonment.

The ABC Rules (2023) mandate sterilization, vaccination, and locality-specific release for strays, prohibiting relocation or culling except for certified rabid or incurably ill dogs. The Cattle Trespass Act regulates strays via impoundment and fines. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), replacing the Indian Penal Code, also refers to animal-related offences under Section 291 (which penalizes negligence) and Sections 321–325, which cover cruelty, killing/maiming, poisoning, and animal fights. 

How have the courts upheld animal rights?

In August 2025, Delhi High Court ordered regulated stray feeding through designated spots to prevent obstruction, prompting backlash from animal rights groups and residents fearing restricted feeding or liability. A clarificatory order affirmed no feeding ban, urging municipalities to develop infrastructure for structured practices. Rajasthan’s pioneering Stray Dog Management Rules set guidelines for feeding points, humane catching, sterilization protocols, and civic-resident cooperation, aligning judicial directives with scientific welfare approaches.

The laws in place balance animal welfare with public health, safety, and urban order, addressing rabies, traffic hazards, and sanitation while fostering compassion.