Why Mumbai needs to build dog shelters near public spaces
Mumbai's got a big stray dog problem, and a new Supreme Court order just made things trickier.
The court now wants stray dogs, particularly those near public spaces, to be sterilized, vaccinated, and relocated to shelters—but with over 90,000 strays and only eight packed shelters, the city is nowhere close to ready.
The BMC says their Animal Birth Control program has helped a bit, running since 1984 with a focus on sterilization and vaccination since 2014, but it hasn't solved the issue.
The debate: Is there a humane way to manage strays?
To follow the court's rules, Mumbai needs to build space for 40,000 strays near schools and public spots—meaning lots of money, staff, and new enclosures.
Animal activists worry this could hurt the dogs more than help them; they argue that sterilization and vaccination are kinder ways to manage strays without overcrowding shelters or risking animal welfare.
The debate is on: how can Mumbai keep people safe while treating its street dogs fairly?