Dog lovers in Meghalaya’s capital city, Shillong gathered on Sunday to protest against the Supreme Court’s directive to remove stray dogs from public spaces, including educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations.All states and Union Territories have been directed by the apex court to relocate stray dogs to designated shelters after sterilisation and vaccination, in line with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
Ahead of the court’s next hearing on January 7, the protesters gathered at Khyndailad, holding placards and shouting slogans calling for an immediate stay on the mass removal and confinement orders for community dogs.
Their signs read, “Awara nahin hamara hai,” “Compassion and Co-existence,” “Save Indian dogs. ABC and Vaccination are important,” and “Animal Birth Control Rules are important.”A local dog lover, while speaking to the media, said that that the protesters were not affiliated with any organisation but were ordinary citizens of the city.”Those who claim that dogs are a problem, I want to say that this is not entirely true. The real issue lies with humans. If the dogs are removed, it will cause a problem for the people,” she said.”No one even knows how many dogs there are. Until we have an accurate count, shelters cannot be built. If dogs are removed, it will negatively impact local feeders who know the dogs and care for them,” she added.
According to her, the dogs that are caught are usually friendly, and it’s the unfamiliar dogs that tend to be more aggressive, which can increase incidents of dog bites.She also drew a comparison to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that gathering large numbers of dogs in one location could lead to the spread of diseases.Citing successful strategies from other parts of the country, she pointed to Goa, Mumbai, and Sikkim, where dog population control measures like vaccination and sterilisation have reduced the number of stray dogs and rabies cases.
“These states have been successful in reducing man-dog conflicts through birth control interventions. Why not adopt these proven strategies here?” she questioned.Another protestor, who has been rescuing and caring for over 60 stray dogs and 22 dogs at her home, also criticised the Supreme Court’s proposal for shelters.”It’s not feasible. We’ve been feeding, treating, rescuing, sterilising, and vaccinating dogs for nine years. We even take in critical cases that cannot survive outside,” she said.
