Mumbai: Hundreds of animal rights activists, feeders and concerned citizens converged on Dadar’s iconic Shivaji Park on Sunday evening, staging a powerful demonstration against the supreme court’s recent
directive to remove stray dogs permanently from prominent public and institutional areas across the country.
Court Order Sparks Outrage Among Activists
The gathering, organised by Mumbai-based animal welfare activists, voiced fierce opposition to the court’s November 7 order, which mandates that stray dogs picked up from locations like schools, hospitals, railway stations, and sports complexes be relocated to designated shelters after sterilization, rather than being released back into their original territories as required under existing Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules.
Protesters Say Relocation Order Is Inhumane
Carrying placards that read “Aawara Nahi, Hamara Hai” and chanting slogans like “Raise Your Voice, Save The Strays,” protestors argued that the directive is both inhumane and impossible to implement given the city’s strained resources.
Concerns Over Lack of Infrastructure for Stray Relocation
Activists highlighted that Mumbai, with an estimated stray dog population of over 90,000, possesses only a handful of existing dog shelters, which are already operating at capacity.
They expressed severe worry that enforced relocation without adequate infrastructure would lead to dogs being confined in unsanitary conditions, increasing disease risk, or even being abandoned in remote areas like the Aarey forest.
Activists Urge SC to Reconsider Order
The demonstrators called on the Supreme Court to reconsider the order, urging authorities to focus on structural issues, such as increasing funding for the ABC program and strictly prosecuting acts of cruelty against animals, which they believe often provoke defensive dog-bite incidents.
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Activist Speaks on Impact of Decision
“Today many of us feeders, rescuers, animals lovers and compassionate citizens gathered to express our solidarity for the community dogs of mumbai and to express their concern on the decision taken by the supreme court which is impractical and disheartening. The decision of relocating them to the shelter means taking away their freedom and their right live freely, while also making them fall prey to various ailments and territorial fights within the shelters. Shelter is no solution but sterilisation and vaccination is. The supreme court should reconsider its decision and should stress on compassion then rest all,” said Reshma Shelatkar, an activist who participated in the Sunday protest.
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