DH PHOTO
Imagine if one day, all the stray dogs in Bengaluru had to be moved into special homes. That’s what might happen if the city follows a recent Supreme Court decision given to Delhi. But here’s the challenge — Bengaluru has nearly 2.8 lakh stray dogs and shelter space for only about 200–250 of them right now.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) runs one shelter in Dasarahalli, and another in Yelahanka is almost ready. There’s a bit of space at the RR Nagar Centre too. Soon, two more observation centres in Mahadevapura and Bommanahalli may open, each with room for 100 dogs. But even with all these, the city would still need almost 1,000 times more space to house every stray dog.
Officials say that if the government gives them big plots of land across the city, they could build more shelters. For now, aggressive or unprovoked-biting dogs are moved to shelters where experts even try to give them behavioural therapy.
Bengaluru sees 2,000–2,500 dog bite cases every month. Some residents feel stricter measures are needed to make streets safer, especially after a recent incident in which a 68-year-old man lost his life in a dog attack.
Stray dogs in city: ~2.8 lakh
Current shelter capacity: 200–250 dogs
Monthly dog bite cases: 2,000–2,500
Shelters in operation: 1 (Dasarahalli)
Shelters opening soon: 1 (Yelahanka)
Planned centres: 2 (Mahadevapura & Bommanahalli)