"This is inhuman," said a participant.
- More than a thousand animal lovers protested in Chennai against the Supreme Court order on street dogs
- The Supreme Court directed Delhi to move street dogs to shelters due to dog bite and rabies concerns
- Protesters warned shelters lack funds and infrastructure, leading to large-scale dog deaths
Braving showers, more than a thousand animal lovers took to the streets of Chennai today, demanding justice for community dogs.
The protest comes in the wake of the Supreme Court's recent order directing the Delhi administration to move street dogs to shelters, citing a spike in dog bite cases, rabies and human fatalities.
Protesters warned that the order, if implemented, would lead to large-scale deaths of dogs, given the absence of infrastructure or funds to care for lakhs of animals. "Shelters will turn into concentration camps. Dogs will fight, kill each other, and perish. This is inhuman," said a participant.
Instead of implementation of the top court's order, they demanded that governments focus on mass sterilisation and vaccination programmes-the only proven scientific solution to curb the street dog population and rabies.
Many pointed out that sterilisation efforts suffered during the Covid pandemic, leading to the surge in dog numbers. "If we can hold elections across India, we can certainly sterilise dogs too," argued another animal rights activist.
Chennai's marchers also stressed that dogs should not be penalised for the failures of municipalities. "It's human mistakes-poor waste management, lack of sterilisation-that cause dog bites. Why should dogs suffer?" asked Chaya, urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its order.
Several speakers reminded that community dogs are part of the urban ecosystem and provide natural security. "Dogs are loyal citizens of this country. Why should they be thrown out?" said another protester, adding that co-existence, empathy and effective municipal action were the way forward.
Protesters held placards declaring, "Every animal has a right to live," and "Stop calling them strays." They stood in solidarity with dog lovers in Delhi, warning of a "vacuum effect" if lakhs of dogs were suddenly removed from the streets.
With allegations of misused funds under the Animal Birth Control programme and lack of accountability among civic bodies, protesters demanded stricter oversight and investment in scientific sterilisation. "During Covid, we didn't kill human beings who tested positive. Why are we targeting dogs?" one your student activist asked. Antony another activist said "Do we ban vehicles because people die in road accidents ?" asked Antony Rubin, an animal rights activist. A woman activist compared this to HIV spike. She added "India did not ban sex but promoted safe sex. We need to find solutions".
As the Supreme Court continues hearing appeals, animal lovers across India hope their voices will push for a humane, workable solution-sterilisation and vaccination, not mass confinement.
