Stray Dog Menace in Srinagar: A Public Health Emergency, Governance Failure & Moral Dilemma

Stray Dog Menace in Srinagar: A Growing Crisis of Public Health, Safety & Compassion

By: Javid Amin | 19 Aug 2025

Srinagar’s Stray Dog Dilemma

Early mornings in Srinagar are beautiful—mist rolling off the Dal Lake, shopkeepers raising shutters in Lal Chowk, children rushing to schools with their backpacks, and the aroma of freshly baked kulchas drifting from bakeries. Yet, there’s another sight that has now become inseparable from the city’s daily life: packs of stray dogs wandering the streets, loitering near garbage dumps, chasing bikers, or sleeping on pavements.

For decades, stray dogs were seen as part of Kashmir’s everyday street life—harmless companions of neighborhoods, often fed by compassionate locals. But over the past two decades, Srinagar has witnessed a sharp rise in dog attacks, with hospitals reporting an alarming increase in dog-bite cases. Parents hesitate to send children unaccompanied to school. Evening strolls in residential areas have become riskier. Tourists too often complain about aggressive dogs in popular destinations like Boulevard Road, Hazratbal, and even Gulmarg.

What was once dismissed as a minor civic issue has now grown into a public health emergency, a governance failure, and a social dilemma. Srinagar today is not just battling stray dogs—it is confronting questions about human safety, compassion for animals, and the accountability of institutions.

The Scale of the Stray Dog Crisis in Srinagar

India has an estimated 62 million stray dogs, making it one of the largest street-dog populations in the world. Between 2019 and 2022 alone, 1.6 crore dog bite cases were reported across the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that India accounts for 36% of global rabies deaths, with nearly 20,000 people dying annually—most due to dog bites.

Srinagar reflects this national crisis in a more concentrated form.

According to estimates by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), the city has over 91,000 stray dogs, though locals claim the number could be much higher.
Hospitals such as SMHS Hospital and Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) report thousands of dog-bite cases every year, making it one of the leading health concerns in the valley.
In just one recent year, over 6,000 bite cases were registered in Srinagar alone, many involving children.

The numbers reveal the sheer scale of the problem. Unlike other cities, Srinagar’s urban expansion, poor garbage management, and lack of sterilization programs have allowed the stray population to multiply unchecked. The crisis is not only about numbers—it’s about the fear and disruption of daily life that comes with it.

Parents often form groups to escort children to school to avoid stray dog attacks.
Evening prayers at mosques or shrines sometimes see people chased by strays on their way home.
At tourist spots, stray dogs gather in packs around food stalls, often intimidating visitors.

The stray dog menace has, in short, become a city-wide social issue, affecting health, lifestyle, tourism, and even Srinagar’s global image.

How Did Srinagar Reach This Point?

The stray dog crisis in Srinagar did not appear overnight. It is the result of years of neglect, policy gaps, and social contradictions. Understanding how the city reached this point requires looking at multiple factors:

01. Policy Paralysis

In 2001, the Government of India introduced the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, mandating the sterilization and vaccination of stray dogs instead of culling. In theory, the policy was progressive and humane. In practice, however, it collapsed in cities like Srinagar due to:

Lack of funding for sterilization programs.
Only one functional sterilization centre for an entire city of over one million residents.
Shortage of trained veterinarians and staff.
No reliable data or monitoring of sterilized dogs.

As a result, while sterilization efforts remained negligible, the stray population continued to multiply rapidly.

02. Legal Contradictions

The judiciary has often played a confusing role in the stray dog issue. On one hand, feeding strays has been legally protected, with courts ordering that no one can stop citizens from feeding dogs. On the other hand, residents regularly demand removal of dogs from schools, hospitals, and residential areas.

In Srinagar, this contradiction has led to paralysis:

The Municipal Corporation fears legal backlash if it removes dogs.
Citizens accuse authorities of inaction and negligence.
Courts have issued conflicting orders, creating a grey zone where no decisive action is taken.

03. Garbage Mismanagement

Perhaps the single biggest factor sustaining Srinagar’s stray population is poor waste management.

The Achan landfill, the city’s primary dumping ground, is an open feast for stray dogs.
Overflowing garbage bins across residential areas provide unlimited food sources.
Tourists and street vendors further contribute by discarding food waste in open areas.

In the absence of proper scientific waste disposal, strays have easy access to food, allowing them to thrive and multiply.

04. Urban Expansion & Habitat Loss

Srinagar has undergone rapid urbanization in recent years. Expanding neighborhoods, commercial hubs, and roads have shrunk open spaces and natural habitats. With fewer natural hunting grounds, dogs are increasingly forced to scavenge near human settlements, leading to more frequent human–dog encounters.

05. Social & Cultural Factors

Kashmiris are known for their compassion towards animals, and feeding stray dogs is a common practice among many residents. While well-intentioned, such unregulated feeding—without simultaneous sterilization or vaccination—has only worsened the crisis.

The Governance Paralysis in Kashmir

When it comes to civic issues, Srinagar’s municipal machinery has long been overburdened. But the stray dog crisis has exposed deep structural weaknesses in governance—where legal contradictions, political instability, and bureaucratic inefficiency all collide.

01. Underfunded & Underprepared Municipal Systems

The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) is tasked with sterilization, vaccination, and overall management of stray dogs. Yet:

It has only one sterilization centre to serve a city of over a million residents.
Sterilization rates are negligible—barely a fraction of the annual target is achieved.
Budgetary allocations for ABC (Animal Birth Control) programs are either delayed or insufficient.

Officials admit that even if sterilization is scaled up, it would take years to visibly reduce stray numbers, since dogs reproduce rapidly and sterilization coverage is currently less than 10%.

02. Courtroom Contradictions

The judiciary has issued contradictory orders over the years:

Some rulings emphasize the protection of strays as “community animals” with a right to live and be fed.
Others acknowledge the dangers of unchecked stray populations and call for stricter control measures.

In Kashmir, this has created a policy deadlock. Municipal authorities fear contempt-of-court charges if they remove dogs from public spaces, while angry citizens demand immediate action.

03. Political Instability & Administrative Neglect

After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Jammu & Kashmir shifted from being a state to a Union Territory. This restructuring disrupted many governance functions. Municipal bodies, already under-resourced, were further slowed down by:

Bureaucratic reshuffling and lack of clear accountability.
Competing priorities like infrastructure, security, and unemployment pushing stray dog management down the list.
Weak collaboration between health, municipal, and veterinary departments.

The result? Status quo paralysis—where the problem keeps growing, but solutions remain stuck on paper.

Public Health Emergency: Dog Bites & Rabies in Srinagar

The stray dog issue is not just about nuisance; it has evolved into a serious public health crisis.

01. Dog Bite Epidemic in Srinagar

Hospitals across Srinagar, including SMHS Hospital, SKIMS, and district health centres, report thousands of dog-bite cases every year.

In some years, SMHS alone has treated over 5,000 bite cases.
A majority of victims are children and elderly people, who are less able to defend themselves.
Many cases involve multiple dog attacks, with packs surrounding and chasing victims.

These attacks don’t just leave physical injuries—they also create psychological trauma. Children develop fear of walking to school. Adults avoid going out in early mornings or late evenings. Parents restrict outdoor play for kids.

02. Rabies: A 100% Fatal But Preventable Disease

Rabies remains the deadliest consequence of dog bites.

India accounts for 36% of global rabies deaths.
Nearly 20,000 people die annually, most of them in rural or semi-urban areas with poor access to vaccines.
In Srinagar, while hospitals stock anti-rabies vaccines, supply shortages and high patient load mean not every victim receives timely treatment.

Rabies is one of the few diseases that is 100% preventable with timely vaccination. Yet, Srinagar struggles with:

Inadequate awareness—many victims delay treatment or rely on traditional remedies.
Lack of dog vaccination programs, meaning most stray dogs remain unvaccinated carriers.
Poor record-keeping—no reliable data on how many strays are vaccinated.

03. Burden on Healthcare Infrastructure

Dog bites put enormous pressure on Srinagar’s already stretched healthcare system.

Hospitals need to stock expensive rabies vaccines and immunoglobulins.
Bite victims require multiple hospital visits for vaccination schedules.
Other critical patients get less attention as hospitals deal with daily dog-bite emergencies.

Public health experts argue that preventing bites through population control and vaccination of dogs would be far cheaper than continuously treating thousands of bite victims.

Learning from Global Models

While Srinagar struggles with policy paralysis, many countries have successfully tackled the stray dog crisis without resorting to inhumane culling.

01. Netherlands: The First “Stray-Free” Country

The Netherlands is celebrated as the world’s first country without stray dogs. How did they achieve this?

Mass sterilization programs supported by government funding.
Nationwide vaccination campaigns to eliminate rabies risk.
Strict pet ownership laws—abandoning pets is a punishable offense.
Public awareness campaigns encouraging adoption instead of abandonment.

The Netherlands shows that a mix of law, funding, and public participation can work.

02. Turkey: Community Feeding with Responsibility

Turkey has a visible stray dog population, but the government manages it through:

Sterilization and vaccination drives conducted by municipalities.
Community feeding stations installed by local authorities, ensuring strays don’t rely solely on garbage.
A cultural ethos where stray animals are seen as part of the community, but under a controlled and monitored system.

This balance of compassion and control could be a useful lesson for Srinagar, where feeding strays is common but unregulated.

03. Sri Lanka: Nationwide Rabies Elimination

Sri Lanka has made significant progress in reducing rabies deaths by:

Vaccinating over 70% of its dog population.
Running door-to-door awareness campaigns.
Involving schools and communities in rabies prevention.

The result? A sharp drop in human rabies deaths, proving that mass vaccination works even in South Asia.

04. What Srinagar Can Learn

From these global models, Srinagar can adopt:

Mass sterilization + vaccination (Netherlands model).
Community responsibility with government infrastructure (Turkey model).
Awareness-driven rabies control (Sri Lanka model).

Instead of ad-hoc measures, Srinagar needs a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder approach.

Possible Solutions for Srinagar’s Stray Dog Crisis

Fixing Srinagar’s stray dog problem requires urgency, planning, and compassion. It cannot be solved overnight, but with coordinated action, the crisis can be managed. Here are practical solutions:

01. Mass Sterilization & Vaccination Programs

Scale-up ABC (Animal Birth Control) projects with multiple sterilization centres across Srinagar, instead of one overstretched unit.
Use mobile veterinary vans to reach different wards daily.
Partner with NGOs, veterinary colleges, and private clinics for faster coverage.
Ensure every sterilized dog is ear-notched and tagged for identification.

This reduces both population growth and the rabies threat.

02. Humane Shelter Infrastructure

Establish dog shelters on Srinagar’s outskirts with proper food, water, and medical care.
Involve public-private partnerships: local businesses, hotels, and NGOs can fund and support shelter operations.
Promote adoption drives to encourage families to adopt sterilized dogs, reducing the number on streets.

This balances safety and compassion.

03. Scientific Garbage Management

The Achan landfill and open garbage sites are feeding thousands of strays daily. Without tackling this, sterilization alone won’t work.

Introduce door-to-door waste collection and enforce penalties for dumping waste on streets.
Install closed, dog-proof bins across residential areas and markets.
Encourage segregation of organic waste so food sources for strays reduce drastically.

Better garbage management = fewer stray dogs congregating in public spaces.

04. Public Education & Community Participation

Run awareness campaigns in schools and neighborhoods about rabies prevention, safe interaction with dogs, and ethical feeding.
Encourage citizens who feed strays to do so responsibly—near sterilization centres or registered feeding points, not in random lanes where aggression risks rise.
Promote pet ownership responsibility—no abandonment, mandatory vaccination of pets, and sterilization of owned dogs.

The community must be part of the solution, not just passive victims.

05. Legal & Policy Reforms

Amend laws to provide clear guidelines balancing stray protection and public safety.
Create a Stray Dog Management Authority for J&K, ensuring coordination between municipal, health, and veterinary departments.
Hold municipal bodies accountable through real-time dashboards tracking sterilization, vaccination, and bite cases.

Clarity in law and accountability in governance are critical.

06. Use of Technology & Innovation

Develop a dog census app where citizens can report stray hotspots.
Use GPS tagging for sterilized dogs to track their movements and coverage.
Introduce a helpline for dog-bite victims to access immediate medical guidance.

Technology can bridge the gap between citizens, government, and healthcare.

What’s at Stake for Srinagar?

This issue is much larger than dogs. It’s about the city’s identity, safety, and governance.

Public Safety & Children’s Well-being
Children in Srinagar should not have to fear walking to school. Elderly residents should not risk evening prayers. Public spaces must be safe.
Tourism & City Image
Srinagar markets itself as “Paradise on Earth.” But aggressive dogs chasing tourists at Dal Lake, Hazratbal, or Gulmarg damage that image. A cleaner, safer city helps the economy.
Healthcare Burden
Every dog-bite victim adds to hospital costs, vaccine shortages, and pressure on doctors. Prevention is far more economical than endless treatment.
Governance Credibility
The stray dog crisis mirrors broader issues: delayed decisions, weak infrastructure, and contradictory policies. How Srinagar handles this will reflect its ability to manage urban challenges in the future.
Compassion vs. Chaos
At its heart, this is also a moral dilemma. Stray dogs are living beings deserving compassion. But unchecked growth leads to suffering for both dogs and humans. Humane, systematic solutions show a society’s maturity in handling compassion with responsibility.

Conclusion: A Call for Humane & Practical Action

Srinagar stands at a crossroads. The stray dog crisis has grown from a nuisance into a city-wide emergency—claiming victims, straining hospitals, and eroding public trust. But it is not unsolvable.

The roadmap is clear:

Mass sterilization and vaccination, backed by strong funding.
Scientific waste management to cut food sources.
Shelters and adoption drives to reduce dogs on the streets.
Awareness campaigns that blend compassion with safety.
Clear laws and accountability mechanisms to end governance paralysis.

Global examples—from the Netherlands to Sri Lanka—prove that humane solutions work when governments commit resources and communities participate. Srinagar can, and must, do the same.

The question is not whether the problem can be solved. The question is whether Srinagar’s leaders and citizens will choose decisive action over endless delay. Because every day lost means more bites, more fear, and more preventable suffering.