Can dogs control rats? Encourage more cats instead, Supreme Court tells animal lovers

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court made a light-hearted but pointed observation while hearing a suo motu case on the stray dog issue, asking whether dogs can really control the rat menace and suggesting that encouraging more cats would make more sense.

During the hearing, senior advocate C.U. Singh, appearing for animal lovers, argued that stray dogs help reduce the rat population in Delhi and that removing them suddenly could create problems. Disagreeing with this argument, Justice Sandeep Mehta questioned the logic. “What is the connection between dogs and rats? Cats are the enemies of rats, right? Shouldn’t we be encouraging people to keep more cats instead?” the court asked.

The bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria also observed that releasing sterilised dogs back into the same areas is not a practical solution. The judges pointed out that stray dogs are often seen roaming inside hospital wards and even near patients’ beds.

Another petitioner’s lawyer said that feeding dogs in public places is a major cause of the problem. Senior advocate Nakul Dewan suggested that microchipping could help track sterilised dogs and those that have bitten people earlier. The hearing in the case will continue today.

If not restricted, a tent would have been needed
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan expressed concern over restrictions imposed on animal lovers and NGOs joining the case as parties. Responding to this, Justice Vikram Nath said that if such restrictions had not been imposed, a tent would have been needed to accommodate everyone attending the hearing.

Appearing for animal welfare groups, Krishnan Venugopal said implementing the Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules would cost Rs 26,800 crore and require the construction of 91,800 new shelters. Senior advocate Dhruv Mehta argued that there are not enough shelters to house the dogs that are being caught.

Justice Vikram Nath also made a personal observation, saying people who are afraid are more likely to be bitten by dogs, and that dogs may attack the same person again if they have bitten them earlier. “I am saying this from my own experience,” he said.