Amid the ongoing debate over stray dogs in India's cities, a new study has painted a different picture. A survey of 1,063 people in 10 cities, including the capital Delhi, found that 91.4 per cent believe the stray dogs in their area help prevent crime and keep the neighbourhood safe overall.

During a hearing on a stray-dog case in Delhi, the Supreme Court had said there was a lack of reliable statistics on stray dogs and bite incidents. To fill that gap, Meghna Bal and Aqib Qayoom, researchers at the policy research institute Esya Centre, carried out this study.

The study says human deaths from rabies in India have fallen dramatically over the past two decades, from 534 in 2004 to just 54 in 2024. Between 2022 and 2025, 126 rabies-related deaths were recorded.

Of those surveyed, 73.5 per cent said the stray dogs in their area are generally "friendly" and another 15 per cent thought them "shy". Only 10.8 per cent called them "aggressive".

According to the study, 74 per cent of those who feed stray dogs said feeding them is part of their religious practice. The researchers linked this to the presence of dogs in epics such as the Mahabharata and in Hindu mythology, and their association with deities.

The report says human behaviour plays a large part in determining how stray dogs behave. When people feed them regularly or treat them well, dogs are calmer.

Some 96 per cent of respondents said they feel "very safe" in their area because of the stray dogs. Fifty-two per cent believe stray dogs protect women and children, and nearly 52 per cent said the dogs help keep monkeys and rats away.

The study says problems such as dog attacks, bites and population imbalance are not caused by the presence of stray dogs but by poor municipal planning, gaps in waste management and flaws in implementing animal birth control (ABC). The study also made a number of policy recommendations.

Source: Jagonews24 (from ThePrint). First published in Bengali on The Agro News.