LAHORE: The Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL) continues to cull the stray dogs either allegedly through gunshots or poison in parts of the city despite assurances the government gave to the Lahore High Court (LHC) to adopt vaccination and humane population control measures prescribed under the Punjab Animal Birth Control Policy 2021 while treating these animals.

On the other hand, the stray dogs continue to injure the people, including kids, the elderly and women, in several parts of Lahore. The situation is worsening gradually as there are no adequate arrangements to vaccinate and shift the stray dogs to a place from where they won’t come back, roam freely and injure people in the streets.

However, the MCL management dispels the impression, claiming that the dedicated squads are capturing hundreds of stray dogs, getting some of them vaccinated by the livestock department and shifting the unvaccinated dogs to the areas outside the city on a daily basis.

Residents and eyewitnesses in parts of the city, including the Saggian Bridge area, have alleged that dog carcasses are being disposed of in the open spaces, raising serious public health and animal welfare concerns. The development appears to contradict commitments made to the court regarding a shift toward sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination campaigns under the law.

MCL, district admin deny reports of culling, claiming stray dogs are being shifted outside city

“I saw a vehicle early in the morning unloading dead dogs near the bridge,” said a local shopkeeper in the Saggian area. “The bodies were thrown into a heap. There was a strong stench, and no proper burial or disposal mechanism was followed.”

Another local resident says the culling has been ongoing for several days.

“We were told that stray dogs would be vaccinated, not killed. But what we are witnessing is the opposite. It is both cruel and dangerous, especially with children living in the area.”

Adding to the controversy, the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) has denied claims attributed to government authorities that stray dogs are being transported to it for vaccination.

“No such dogs have been brought to us for vaccination as claimed. We have not received any batches of stray dogs under such a programme.”

Animal rights activists have also expressed alarm, stating that such actions not only violate humane treatment standards but may also undermine efforts to control rabies through vaccination.

“Mass culling is not an effective long-term solution. It creates ecological imbalance and often leads to an increase in dog populations due to rapid breeding,” says Noor Jahan, an animal rights activist.

Legal experts say that the MCL and Suthra Punjab Agency Lahore (formerly Lahore Waste Management Company) recently assured the court that it would take appropriate action under policy while dealing with the stray dogs.

It is pertinent to mention that in March this year, a nine-year-old girl had died from her critical injuries soon after being mauled by a pack of stray dogs in the Township area. The minor girl, Mehr, was playing in the street with her friends when a pack of stray dogs attacked and injured her critically.

On hearing her cries, locals rushed to the scene and shifted her to hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. The area residents also expressed serious concerns and anger at the incident, saying a growing number of stray dogs roaming in Township and its surrounding neighborhoods put lives of the residents, especially children, at risk.

Taking notice of the incident, Lahore Deputy Commissioner retired Captain Muhammad Ali Ijaz immediately launched a campaign against the stray dogs in the area.

Following the incident, the government,during the hearing, undertook before the Lahore High Court that the Punjab Animal Birth Control Policy 2021 will be implemented in its letter and spirit. The representatives of the office of the deputy commissioner, the SPAL (formerly LWMC) outside the city and other departments submitted their undertakings that they would not deviate from the policy.

The petitioners in their plea had stated that the government authorities were not reliable as they continued to carry out dog culling operations despite an undertaking previously given by the Punjab government’s lawyer. The judge, however, disposed of the petition and observed that the petitioners could file contempt of court petition in case of any violation of the policy by the authorities.

Since various videos show dumping of dogs found dead at open places in the city, the residents in various parts of the city say that the stray dogs roaming in the streets are not only biting and injuring people, but also littering the areas.

“About 15 days before, my kids were playing in front of their house. But suddenly, a couple of stray dogs hiding under a parked car attacked them. After hearing cries, I came out and saw a passerby chasing dogs just to save my kids after the attack,” says a resident of Johar town while talking to Dawn on Monday. He demands the government to make the area in particular and the entire city in general stray dogs-free by using all resources.

When contacted, a spokesperson for the city district administration and MCL claims that the dedicated squads are shifting hundreds of dogs outside the city after capturing them.

“Some of them are vaccinated through livestock department teams while the rest, along with the vaccinated ones, are shifted outside the city,” he claims. To a question, he says the squads are not involved in killing dogs through gunshots or poisoning.

“There were some complaints we had received from a couple of private housing societies in this regard. But we resolved them by taking action,” he maintains.

Talking to Dawn, MCL Chief Metropolitan Officer Shahid Kathia has dispelled the impression claiming that the squads are not involved in killing dogs at all.

“In Lahore, over 100,000 stray dogs are roaming the streets. We succeed in capturing hundreds of dogs on a daily basis. Afterwards, we vaccinate them and shift them outside the city. But, they enter the city from various parts again,” he explains.

“But it is not true that our teams are killing dogs,” he insists.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2026