This is the sixth in a 6-part series. Read the first, second, third, fourth and fifth parts
On August 11, a 2-judge bench of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan directed that stray dogs be removed from the streets of Delhi and the National Capital Region as early as possible.
The bench had taken suo motu cognisance of a news report in the Times of India’s Delhi edition on July 28. It noted that the news item contained “very disturbing and alarming” figures and facts.
The Chief Justice of India B R Gavai later shifted the case from a two-judge Supreme Court bench to a three-judge one. The new bench, headed by Justice Vikram Nath and comprising Justices Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria, reserved its order on an interim plea seeking a stay on the earlier directive on August 14.
On August 22, 2025, this bench stayed the earlier order directing the removal of free-ranging dogs from the Delhi-National Capital Region to shelters, while ruling that feeding them in public spaces is illegal.
Down To Earth (DTE) wanted to probe the issue further. In nature, dogs and vultures often compete for carcasses. We wanted to understand the reason behind why dogs have become a menace for humans and non-human animals alike. Could the decline of the vulture in the 1990s have contributed to the dog’s rise?
DTE spoke to a number of experts on the matter. Here, we talk to noted ornithologist Asad Rahmani.
DTE: What consequences do free-ranging dogs have on ecosystems?
Asad Rahmani (AR): The dog is a predator that hunts its prey. It has originated from the wolf. No predator should be allowed to live in such large numbers, and also as a free-ranging animal. There is no problem with the pet dogs as long as they are taken care of, but free-ranging stray dogs should be either taken home by so-called dog lovers or carefully euthanised. Allowing them to roam in streets freely, feeding them bread, biscuits, boiled rice, food leftovers, etc., is a cruelty.
In nature, predators have their own ways of controlling their populations. The predators’ population is based on the density of their prey species and available habitat. For example, almost 80 per cent of cheetah cubs die or are killed in the first year of their birth. Similar is the case of lions and many other predators. Wild predators have a small litter size (2-4 cubs normally, sometimes more), while the domestic dogs can have 8-10 pups. Therefore, if we are responsible for the huge population of stray dogs, we should control their population by euthanisation.
As far as sterilisation is concerned, it looks like a good solution, but nowhere in India has it worked, mainly because a small percentage of dogs are sterilised. Many studies show that unless 80-85 per cent of the dogs (both males and females) are sterilised, it does not work. One male dog can impregnate 10-15 bitches. Therefore, sterilisation of bitches is more important. This high sterilisation works only in a closed population of dogs, where there is no ingress from outside.
If the so-called dog lovers are so concerned about dogs, I request them to allow their toddlers and young children on the streets and in parks with free-ranging stray dogs roaming all around them. Most of the deaths by dog bites (rabies) or grave injuries are of children of poor people, not people who live in big houses or gated colonies where even outsiders are not allowed. Free-ranging stray dogs are okay, as long as they do not bite or kill my child. Total hypocrisy.
Regarding wildlife, free-ranging stray dogs are a big menace that needs immediate solutions: elimination or euthanasia. For example, there are hundreds of incidents of free-ranging stray dogs killing Chinkara, Blackbuck, Cheetal, Sambar, Nilgai, and eating eggs or chicks of Sarus Crane and Black-necked Crane. In Ladakh, do we need Black-necked Crane or dogs? I have studied both Sarus and Black-necked cranes, and I can tell you, free-ranging dogs are a huge problem for these ground/wetland nesting birds. Even one of our jawans was killed by dogs in north Sikkim, and a 17-year-old girl mauled to death in Ladakh. A retired professor in Aligarh was mauled to death by dogs. People who do not care for wildlife, at least they should be concerned about human life. Or is dog life more important than human life?
Down To Earth examines whether the decline of the vulture could have led to the rise of the dog as India’s preeminent scavenger/predator.