An Instagram reel by community feeder and animal welfare advocate Jananee (Instagram handle:@the_dog_lady_), who has 2,570 followers, has gone viral amid the growing debate over the Supreme Court’s recent order to relocate stray dogs to shelters. In the video, she argues that removing vaccinated and sterilized street dogs from their territories could dismantle herd immunity, leading to an increase in rabies cases and dog bite incidents. 

In the video, she questions the feasibility of sheltering the strays, citing the lack of government shelters, the enormous cost of food and care (estimated at thousands of crores annually), and the logistical challenges of capturing so many dogs.

Instead of mass removal, Jananee advocates for the scientifically proven method of sterilization and vaccination—practices she has been following in her own area for six years, resulting in zero rabies cases.

Are the claims true? Does removing vaccinated dogs affect herd immunity and make things worse?

If too many dogs go unvaccinated, herd immunity weakens, giving diseases a chance to resurface. It’s like pulling out strong planks from a fence: once enough gaps appear, threats can slip through. When vaccination rates drop, even previously controlled diseases can return, putting all dogs at risk. 

According to a study, a continuous dog vaccination (DCV) approach using thermotolerant rabies vaccines stored in passive cooling devices was able to maintain high coverage levels throughout the year, even in challenging environments. Sustaining this coverage is crucial, as herd immunity against rabies generally requires at least 70% of the dog population to be vaccinated. Removing vaccinated dogs would lower coverage below this threshold, increasing the likelihood of outbreaks. 

Another study reviewing decades of data from Africa and Asia concluded that canine rabies can be eliminated through mass dog vaccination when adequate coverage is reached and maintained. The authors highlight that similar vaccination campaigns successfully eradicated rinderpest globally. In contrast, areas that relied on dog removal or culling failed to control rabies, as unvaccinated dogs quickly replaced those removed, breaking herd immunity. 

An experimental study under shelter-like conditions showed that dogs vaccinated immediately or one week before exposure to canine distemper virus—a different but highly contagious pathogen—were protected, whereas unvaccinated dogs succumbed. This demonstrates that vaccination, even close to exposure, can effectively prevent disease spread in high-risk, crowded environments, further underscoring that replacing vaccinated dogs with unvaccinated ones undermines community protection. 

Dr Rutuparrna Ambegaonkargupte, Veterinarian at The Wagging Tails Pet Clinic, explained the implications of removing vaccinated stray dogs: “Herd immunity is a real and critical concept. Even according to WHO guidelines, at least 70% of the dog population needs to be vaccinated to ensure adequate immunity. When vaccinated and unvaccinated dogs are mixed in a skewed ratio, the chances of dog bites and rabies transmission increase significantly.” 

She elaborated with an example: “In a population of 100 dogs, if 70 are vaccinated and 30 unvaccinated, removing 50 vaccinated dogs and replacing them with 50 unvaccinated ones changes the ratio to 20 vaccinated and 80 unvaccinated. This falls far below the required coverage, making rabies outbreaks much more likely.” 

Dr Rutuparrna also noted the behavioural risks: “When dogs are removed from their territory, new dogs move in. Being unfamiliar with the area and the local people, these newcomers may increase the risk of dog bite incidents.” 

This is of greater significance when you take into account that in just 2024, there were over 37 lakh cases of dog bites, and about 54 suspected human rabies deaths in the country. If infections and diseases among the dog population increase, it may, in fact, exacerbate the situation for people too.  

Highlighting effective alternatives, she said, “Global studies show that vaccination is the most reliable tool for rabies control. Neutering helps manage population growth, and adoption should be promoted. The Netherlands, for example, focused on vaccination, neutering, and incentives for adoption—and it worked. Simply picking up dogs is a short-term strategy, not a sustainable one.” 

She further pointed out an often-overlooked consequence: “If street dogs are removed, rodent populations can rise, as dogs naturally prey on rats and mice. In India, where open garbage is common, this could create additional public health problems.” 

“Even in shelters, rabies outbreaks can occur if vaccinated and unvaccinated dogs are mixed. Sheltering is logistically complex, expensive, and resource-intensive. A much more effective and sustainable approach is to follow the ABC (Animal Birth Control) programme, rather than mass removal,” she added. 

Also read: India records 9.1M dog bites annually, raising rabies risk, survey highlights vaccination gaps