Stray Dogs on the street in Shalimar Bagh in Nový Delhi 11 August 2025 | Photo Credit: PTI
Interactions of dogs on human street in India are mostly unusual, according to research on the street and public health of the University of Edinburgh 82% of observed meetings involving accessible or neutral behavior.
Research data shows that only 2% of dog interactions on Human Streets included aggression, such as barking, chasing or biting.
Also read: Dogs and Laws: On street dogs and the Supreme Court order
The findings assume importance as the Supreme Court on Monday (August 11, 2025) ordered the removal of stray dogs from all localities of Dilli NCR and their placement in shelters with regard to the growing bite of dogs and cases of rabies.
A study led by a professor criticism of Srinivasan warned that spending or mass removal could increase demanding public health profits.
The reported cases of rabies in India have dropped by almost 75%in India in the last two decades, from 274 in 2005 to 34 in 2022, mainly due to mass vaccination of dogs and improving prophylaxis after exposure (PEP).
However, gaps in early access to PEP and observance of vaccine plans remain the problem.
Srinivasan also warned that spending or mass removal often ignites and triggers the influx of unknown dogs into relaxed areas and creates ecological gaps that can fill other potentially dangerous animals.
In a survey 2022–23 in 15 countries, the incidence of dog bite was recorded at 4.7 per 1,000 inhabitants, lower than 18.7 per 1,000 in Cheshire, Great Britain
Public opinion surveys in Chennai, Jaipur and Malappurama (Kerala) found 86% support for dog vaccination and 66% for neutered, while more than 70% against spending.
The opposition increased to 77% among respondents who were persecuted or bitten by stray dogs.
Research has recommended scientifically led community access-universal and free PEP, permanent vaccination units, food control, community education, and responsible care-that elimination policies may seem rapidly but cannot provide sustainable safety results.
Published – August 13, 2025 9:33
