Mumbai: BMC Plans To Move 10,000 Stray Dogs From Restricted Areas, Activists Question Shelter Capacity

Mumbai, October 7, 2026: The BMC estimates around 10,000 stray dogs in restricted areas, which under its new system will be moved to designated shelters instead of being released after sterilisation and vaccination.

Animal activists, however, question the feasibility of the move, citing a shortage of shelter homes. They argue the civic body should prioritise effective, sustained sterilisation and vaccination—measures they say can curb the population by controlling the birth rate.

Sunish Subramanian, Secretary of the Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Mumbai, said, “Does the civic body have any permanent shelter homes for stray dogs in Mumbai? A blanket policy of shifting stray dogs cannot be the answer. In several of these restricted areas, residents actively care for the dogs, and they are not considered a nuisance.

If civic body had seriously focused on implementing the sterilisation programme effectively, the stray dog population could have been brought under control, reducing the need for such mass relocations. Instead, sterilisation units should be established at the ward level for a more effective and sustainable solution.”

Activists Question Shelter Feasibility

Roshan Pathak, animal rights activist, said, “BMC may relocate stray dogs from restricted areas today, but how many shelter homes can it realistically build? Stray dogs do not understand that a place is a school or hospital. Unless the population is controlled, the numbers will rise again. Sterilisation and vaccination are the only sustainable solutions. BMC’s proposed arrangements appear to be driven by the court’s order, but there is still no clear, comprehensive plan to address the issue.”

In February 2026, the BMC invited Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from agencies to set up large-scale dog shelters outside the city. However, no development so far, an official confirmed. Following the Supreme Court’s directive, the civic body began looking for land within Mumbai to house the dogs. But finding such massive open spaces in the city’s land-starved landscape has proved a major challenge.

Around 28,067 sq ft of land is required to house 1,000 dogs, highlighting the enormous land requirement for any city-wide shelter plan. “We need land on a massive scale. The appointed agency will arrange and manage the shelters, while the BMC will fund food, vaccination, medical treatment and other care,” said an official.

Also Watch:

Stray Dog Population And Sterilisation

90,757: Estimated stray-dog population in Mumbai in 2024, down from 95,172 a decade earlier.

4.34 lakh: Stray dogs sterilised in Mumbai between 1994 and August 2025.

1.53 lakh+: Dogs sterilised since 2017, according to civic data.

Rs 23.31 crore: Cost of the BMC’s recently approved plan to sterilise 33,671 dogs over three years.

2024 survey: Conducted by the BMC in collaboration with Humane Society International/India (HSI) to assess Mumbai’s stray-dog population.

1,54,017 dog-bite cases in Mumbai in 2025.

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