The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear different views to find a durable and humane solution to human-stray dog conflicts, especially in Kerala.
A Bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and K.V. Viswanathan was hearing a plea by the Kannur district panchayat, represented by senior advocate P.V. Surendranath and advocate Subhash Chandran, to euthanise “suspected rabid” and “extremely dangerous” stray dogs.
Animal rights activists said the issue was a delicate one and required to be examined legally. They claimed animal birth control rules were not strictly implemented by the local authorities. People should not be allowed to treat stray dogs cruelly by branding them “rabid” or “dangerous”. They said there had been instances of stray dogs hanged or poisoned or thrown into rivers. This should not be allowed.
Mr. Surendranath and Mr. Chandran, however, recounted the case of a 11-year-old boy who was mauled to death by stray dogs in Kerala. They said the danger was real and present, and need to be addressed.
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Advocate Jaimon Andrews, appearing for the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said children were also victims to stray dog attacks.
‘Enduring solution’
The Bench agreed to hear the case on August 16, saying an “enduring solution” needed to be found to the issue.
The panchayat had submitted that 5,794 cases of stray dog attacks were reported in 2019, 3,951 cases in 2020, 7,927 cases in 2021, 11,776 cases were reported in 2022 and 6,276 cases up to June 2023 in Kannur itself.
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The district panchayat said there were about 28,000 strays within its limits.
It said the menace had continued despite “every effort to control stray dogs’ menace within the local limits”.
“Incidents of stray dog attacks and road accidents due to collision with dogs are increasing day by day within the district panchayat area as well as throughout the State,” the petition rued.
