Bengaluru: In response to a recent Supreme Court directive mandating the removal of stray dogs from institutional premises and their relocation to designated areas, Bengaluru is constructing shelter homes capable of housing 2,100 dogs across the five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority. These facilities are expected to be completed before August.
While civic agencies have been making ground-level preparations, most facilities are at varying stages of execution. The civic authorities have started identifying stray dogs in institutional areas. Corporation officials confirmed that dogs will not be removed from public places until the shelters are ready.
This multi-pronged exercise follows the Supreme Court directive of November 7, 2025, which mandates local bodies to identify stray dogs within institutional areas such as schools, colleges, hospitals, sports complexes, bus depots, and railway stations, and relocate them to shelters after sterilisation and vaccination. The court directed that stray dogs removed from such institutional premises should not be released at the same location, as was the case earlier.
Officials have so far identified 2,696 institutional stray dogs across Bengaluru, including dogs found around campuses, institutions, and other establishments. Of these, the North zone accounts for 901 dogs, followed by West (591), Central (504), East (369), and South (331). A tender has been floated to engage NGOs for the maintenance, administration, and day-to-day management of the shelters once operational.
The court observed that implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2001, has been “ineffective” across jurisdictions. The ABC Rules state that the Capture-Sterilise-Vaccinate-Release model is the principal method for controlling the stray dog population, prohibiting indiscriminate culling and requiring municipal authorities to undertake sterilisation and vaccination in coordination with animal welfare organisations.
Bengaluru city reported a total of 10,423 dog bite cases from January to March this year, of which 6,254 were attributed to stray dogs and the rest to pets. The five city corporations together have eight ABC centres.
Animal activists have expressed concern over the implications of the order. Sathwin Putta, an activist from South Bengaluru Cares, said the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach could set back the progress made in stray dog management in municipalities. “It results in gross injustice to innocent animals which may have peacefully lived alongside humans and will now be confined for life,” he said.
Sujaya Jagadish from the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said the focus must shift to ensuring the order is implemented correctly. “We’re worried about non-compliant shelters being built to house institutional dogs. Once operational, there is no going back. Overcrowded and unhygienic shelters could trigger disease outbreaks, harming both animals and people,” she said.
