Blurb
A tender has been floated to engage NGOs for maintenance, administration and daily operations of the shelters once they become functional.
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BENGALURU
Following a recent Supreme Court directive on stray dog management, Bengaluru is constructing shelter homes with a combined capacity to house nearly 2,100 stray dogs across the five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority.
The shelters are expected to become operational before August, officials said. Civic agencies have already begun identifying stray dogs in institutional areas such as schools, colleges, hospitals, railway stations, sports complexes and bus depots.
Authorities clarified that stray dogs will not be relocated from public spaces until the shelters are fully ready.
The move follows the Supreme Court’s November 7, 2025 order directing local bodies to identify stray dogs within institutional premises and shift them to designated shelters after sterilisation and vaccination. The court also instructed that dogs removed from such campuses should not be released back at the same locations, unlike earlier practices under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules.
According to civic officials, 2,696 institutional stray dogs have so far been identified across Bengaluru. Of these, the North zone accounts for 901 dogs, followed by West with 591, Central with 504, East with 369 and South with 331.
The court observed that implementation of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2001, had been ineffective in many regions. The rules advocate the Capture-Sterilise-Vaccinate-Release model for controlling stray dog populations while prohibiting indiscriminate culling.
Officials said Bengaluru’s five city corporations currently operate eight ABC centres for sterilisation and vaccination activities.
The issue has gained urgency amid rising dog bite incidents in the city. Between January and March this year, Bengaluru recorded 10,423 dog bite cases, including 6,254 involving stray dogs and the remaining linked to pet animals.
Meanwhile, animal welfare activists have expressed concern over the long-term impact of large-scale confinement of stray dogs.
Sathwin Putta from South Bengaluru Cares said the “one-size-fits-all” approach may reverse years of progress in humane stray dog management.
“It results in injustice to innocent animals that have peacefully coexisted with people and may now remain confined permanently,” he said.
Civic authorities have floated tenders to engage NGOs for maintenance, administration and day-to-day operations of the shelters once they become functional.
Box Story: Activists Raise Shelter Concerns
Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals representative Sujaya Jagadish said authorities must ensure shelters comply with proper standards before implementation.
“We are worried about overcrowded and unhygienic shelters being created for institutional dogs. Once operational, there is no going back. Poor shelter conditions could trigger disease outbreaks affecting both animals and humans,” she warned.