SC: Street dogs can’t be kept in captivity

Street dogs cannot be kept in captivity, held the Supreme Court on Wednesday as it stayed a direction passed by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court requiring those interested in feeding stray dogs to adopt them and bring them home or keep them in a shelter. Reacting to a direction passed on October 20 by the high court , the bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and JK Maheshwari said, “Certainly, adoption and keeping stray dogs in captivity is not acceptable. Street dogs cannot be kept in captivity.” The top court stayed the portion of the order requiring those feeding stray dogs to adopt them and directed the Nagpur municipal corporation to identify locations for feeding, and also asked the general public to ensure that feeding does not cause any public nuisance. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation was directed not to take any coercive steps against persons feeding stray dogs.