It is by now, trite, that the manner of dealing with stray canines, and controlling their population, is set out in the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001. The Rules envisage that community dogs shall be sterilized in the manner, and after following the procedure set out these Rules. Further, that they shall then be vaccinated for protection against rabies; and released back into the very areas that they were picked up from. Release back into the locality that each individual animal is picked from is extremely important, because dogs, being territorial in nature, tend to keep other, possibly un-sterilized, un-vaccinated animals out of their territories. This stabilizes the dog population in each territory, and also makes it easier to follow a systematic, area-wise sterilization and immunization plan.
How, and why, is street dog feeding important and the right choice to make?
In the first place, it is the lawful thing to do. The Indian Constitution casts a Fundamental Duty upon all citizens of India to show compassion to all living creatures; and that is precisely what persons choosing to feed stray and hungry animals, especially the much maligned street dogs, are in fact doing.
Secondly, treating an animal with kindness, and being the food source for hungry animals, reduces suspicion, and consequently reduces man – animal conflict. It can also facilitate capture for animal birth control and immunization; and a street dog caught for ABC by or with the involvement of a person it trusts would naturally undergo lesser stress.
See the relevant judgments on feeding of stray dogs by the Delhi High Court and the judgment on taking care of stray dog by the Punjab & Haryana High Court
Unfortunately however, people that irrationally fear or dislike street dogs do not realize this, and are hostile to, and harass, and seek to intimidate and persecute street dog feeders. Hence, the RELEVANCE of the I.D. cards issued by the AWBI, for street dog feeders and colony caretakers of stray animals.
A Short Intro –
VOSD is one of the world’s largest no-kill dog sanctuary & hospital, with 8,000+ life-critical rescues and hundreds of resident dogs. Explore more about VOSD – NGO for Dogs here!
How to apply and obtain this identification?
The I.D.cards for street dog feeders & colony caretakers being issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India are intended to lend support to persons that feed and tend to street dogs and other animals, and validate their actions as being lawful and correct. They are also intended to provide a buffer against and prevent unnecessary harassment of persons that make the right and lawfull choice of feeding street dogs and other animals.
The APPLICATION FORM for obtaining such a card can be downloaded from The Animal Welfare Board of India site or from The Voice of Stray Dogs website (This is the corrected, rationalized version of the Application Form that provides for self-attestation of proof of identity, i.e. a copy of the Ration Card/ Voter I.D./ Driving License/ Passport/ Pan Card to provided, after being self-attested as being a true copy.)
The duly filled in application form has to be sent to the Chennai office of the Board, as will be apparent from this message on the Board’s web-site
The address of the Chennai office of the Board is:
Animal Welfare Board of India
13/1, Third Seaward Road,
Valmiki Nagar,
Thiruvanmiyur,
Chennai- 600 041
How the I.D. Cards for street dog feeders & colony caretakers are expected to look, can be seen here.
Not having such a card does not mean that you will not be able to feed and tend to street dogs and other animals. Responsible feeding without littering is lawful activity, and you can do it with or without i.d. cards.
Tags : Animal Birth Control Rules (Dogs) 2001, Animal Welfare Board of India
