Study finds dip in stray dog numbers in 10 years

Mumbai: While the density of free-roaming street dogs in Mumbai has lessened in 10 years – between 2014 and 2024 -- the pool of sterilized dogs has also taken a dip. This was revealed in a study conducted by the Humane Society International/ India (HSI/India), which works to protect animals, and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday. The study underlined that going forward, in order to control street dog population, the BMC will have to sterilize 14,000 dogs per year.

In its 2014 survey of street dogs, the study had found approximately 10.54 dogs per kilometer, in a stray population of 95,172 in areas governed by BMC.

After a decade, the survey focussed on 930 km area (out of a total 2,354km), where it found the stray density of 8.01 per km, which added up to a population of 90,757. This extrapolation was done using yearly sterilization data from 1994 and survival estimates. The population density however was found increased in four wards – E (Byculla), N (Ghatkopar), R/South (Kandivali) and T (Mulund). 21,094 reside in slums. The H/West ward (Bandra West), saw the biggest decrease in street dogs by 68.2%.

While it seems the street dog population had dipped by around 5,000, thanks to sterilization, the percentage of sterilized dogs had also dropped. 2014 saw a sterilization rate of 74.8%, which decreased by 11.9% in 2024 to 62.9%. This leaves an estimated 33,671 unsterilized dogs in Mumbai.

“Even a single year of lower sterilization numbers due to unforeseen circumstances may lead to a loss of population control, even with annual averages at 14,000 sterilizations or above,” recommended the HSI/India. “Once the population has been allowed to rise, it will require much higher annual sterilization rate to bring it back to the current level of control. Thus, we suggest a higher yearly number to ensure the programme maintains efficacy without losing control, for instance, by ensuring yearly sterilizations of 15-20,000 dogs per year.”

The report also recommended roping in dog feeders in sterilization attempts and focusing on sterilizing female dogs on priority.