New Delhi: Emphasising the need for strengthening the animal birth control (ABC) programme across cities, India4Animals, a collective of animal welfarists, on Monday presented statistics, based on the 2019 livestock census and affidavits filed by chief secretaries in court, highlighting gaps in addressing the stray dog population. Following the recent suo motu judgment of Supreme Court, a panel of experts, which included parliamentarians, legal professionals, activists, administrators and civil society representatives, addressed a press conference organised by the forum. They maintained that the issue is not animals versus humans, but one of governance, accountability and scientific policy implementation. The panel reiterated that mass sheltering is neither sustainable nor humane, as directed by the court, and said funds proposed for building kennels could be better utilised in other priority areas. Members jointly stressed that municipalities must shift from reactive measures, such as culling, to sterilisation, vaccination, accountability and public awareness. Priyanka Chaturvedi, MP of the Shiv Sena UBT, called for the use of artificial intelligence and advanced technology to enhance transparency. She advocated auditing municipal expenditure, creating transparent data dashboards, like those introduced by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, and integrating AI tools to manage sterilisation, vaccination and complaint redressal systems. “This will ensure accountability of all stakeholders, including NGOs engaged in ABC sterilisation, in cases of poor performance,” she said. Anjali Gopalan, activist and a resident of Gulmohar Park, said meaningful progress requires political will. “In my area, we did not witness an increase in the dog population due to the coordinated effort by residents,” she said. Citing the Netherlands as an example, she highlighted adoption drives and strict breeding controls. Some experts said Supreme Court’s judgment had intensified polarisation between community animal caregivers and those seeking the permanent removal of street dogs. They said the divide led to violence against animals as well as feeders and caretakers. Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury said that cruelty towards animals often precedes violence against humans. “Not all dogs bite, and there is an urgent need to strengthen and amend laws accordingly,” she said. Referring to recent campaigns in which over 120-130 indie dogs were adopted, she said humane solutions are viable, when backed by intention. In Jan, Telangana reportedly saw a controversial wave of stray dog culling. Some estimates suggest hundreds were killed in a month. Reports also indicated the absence of ABC centres in several districts of the state. Chowdhury termed the situation “unfortunate” and said no policy direction ever endorsed such practices. Advocate Poulomi Pavini Shukla questioned the allocation of funds for dog shelters when key human welfare sectors are under-funded. She cautioned that large-scale sheltering could trigger health crises for animals and humans.
