India’s Supreme Court on Monday ordered the removal of tens of thousands of stray dogs from the capital, citing public safety concerns after a surge in dog bites.

India is home to millions of stray dogs and deadly attacks, particularly on children and the elderly, are regularly reported by the city’s media.

At least 60,000 stray dogs live on the streets of Delhi, according to India’s Livestock Census of 2012, the most recent data available. Some suggest that number to be now far higher, with large rival dog packs patrolling parks and residential neighbourhoods across the city.

The country accounts for more than a third of global rabies deaths, according to the World Health Organisation, a crisis exacerbated by a lack of sterilisation programmes and legal restrictions on canine culling.

The court asked city authorities to set up dog shelters within eight weeks, and maintain daily records of the canines captured.

“What is important, and without which the entire exercise would go futile, not a single stray dog should be released,” it said, which applies to Delhi and its satellite suburbs, a megacity home to some 30 million people.

The court warned of action against animal activists who obstruct the removal of dogs.

It also ordered a 24-hour helpline to be set up to report dog bites and officials must publicise locations where anti-rabies vaccines are available.

Data tabled in the Indian parliament showed more than 3.7m cases of dog bites and 54 suspected human deaths from rabies in 2024.

Other estimates peg the number to be nearly twice as high, with Delhi alone accounting for roughly 2,000 cases of dog bites every day.

In middle-class neighbourhoods, many of Delhi’s strays are beloved by their residents despite lacking formal owners, with some dogs clothed in special canine jackets to keep warm during the winter.

But they are also a hazard to humans, with Indian media regularly reporting on the mauling of young children by aggressive dog packs.