Kerala Faces Hurdles in Establishing Stray Dog Shelters Amid Public Opposition and Land Crunch

Kochi : The Kerala government has highlighted significant obstacles in establishing shelters for stray dogs, citing high population density, widespread public protests, and a severe shortage of available land.

In an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the state detailed these challenges in response to the court’s directive requiring all states to create such facilities. Currently, only two dedicated dog shelters operate in Kerala, with basic sheltering arrangements available at all 20 permanent Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres.

The government has instructed District Collectors to locate suitable sites for additional shelters. The affidavit, filed by Kerala’s Standing Counsel C.K. Sasi, emphasised that the scarcity of government-owned land poses a major barrier alongside the state’s dense population.

Efforts are underway involving the Revenue and Local Self-Government departments to identify appropriate plots. Upon finalisation, the Animal Husbandry department will offer technical expertise to develop the shelters.

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Additionally, District Animal Husbandry Officers have been directed to compile lists of animal welfare organisations and volunteers willing to support these initiatives. The state currently maintains 22 designated dog feeding centres and is working to establish more locations that minimise public inconvenience.

Regarding the Supreme Court’s order to install fencing or compound walls around educational institutions for safety, Kerala reported that 20,872 institutions already have such protections in place, while 3,383 others require them. The government noted that prior delays stemmed from the model code of conduct during recent civic elections, which restricted civic bodies and departments from undertaking construction.

Nodal officers have been appointed across the Sports, General Education, Transport, Higher Education, Health departments, as well as railway authorities, to oversee fencing completion. All local bodies have also designated officers to monitor and manage stray dog removal from institutional premises.