J&K ranks 2nd in India with 23 stray dogs per 1000 people

Srinagar, Aug 13: J&K has been in a crisis due to an escalating stray dog population, the density of which, as per government data, is 23 dogs per 1000 people.

The alarming figure underlines a growing public health and safety concern.

However, the government’s inaction on creating infrastructure and policies for managing the dog population scientifically has continued.

Even with dogs becoming the centre of discussion across the country after the recent Supreme Court decision, J&K has almost slept on the issue, Google Trends shows.

An X handle, @India.in.pixels, has graphically portrayed the interest of states and UTs in “stray dogs”. J&K has a score of 24 based on data from August 11-12, 2025.

This has been translated as “not-really-interested”, quite in line with other states and UTs.

Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Karnataka score better.

Delhi has a score of 100, the highest in the country.

The X handle has also shown the state and UT-wise people-to-dog ratio.

J&K features at number two, with 22.9 dogs per 1000 people, as per the 2019 data of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairies.

Odisha, with 39.7 dogs per 1000 people, tops the list.

The apathy in J&K towards controlling the dog population and putting in place other measures that could ensure practical and long-term solutions has been chronic.

This is despite the frequent reports of dog bites and aggressive encounters with residents across the length and breadth of J&K.

The stray dog population here poses a persistent threat, with no effective measures in place to control it.

The Animal Birth Control measures, as recommended by national guidelines, have been few and far between and Srinagar-centric.

For the past 11 months, even Srinagar has been unable to restart its dog sterilisation programme.

Dog shelters are nonexistent – the sick, aggressive, and injured animals are left on streets, without containment or care.

J&K has also failed to put in place a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) that could enforce humane population control strategies and prevent cruelty against dogs and other animals.

The vacuum and the inaction have been fuelling frustration among people.

Reports of incidents of attacks are as common as sightings of dogs.

The August 11 Supreme Court judgment that ordered the relocation of all stray dogs to shelters within eight weeks in Delhi has sparked both support and criticism.

However, in J&K, it has not moved many heads.

The failure to start robust sterilisation programmes allows the dog population to grow unchecked, and attacks are becoming common.

At the same time, the lack of shelters exacerbates the plight of injured or diseased dogs, and the threatening dogs remain on the streets.

Animal Birth Control Rules 2023 mandate states and UTs in India to put in place Animal Birth Control measures and return of sterilised and vaccinated dogs back into their territories.