Research
The evidence base.
A curated index of government, research and NGO sources on street dogs, rabies and Animal Birth Control in India. These are pointers to primary sources - always verify figures at the source.
Government· India· 2023
Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023
Government of India (Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying)
The statutory framework governing sterilisation and immunisation of community dogs and the duties of local bodies and AWOs.
ABCsterilisationpolicy
Government· India (state / district)· 2019
20th Livestock Census
Dept. of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD)
National livestock census that includes a count of stray/ownerless dogs, a common baseline for population estimates. Reported ~1.53 crore (15.3 million) stray dogs nationally in 2019 - the last official count.
populationcensus
Research· Global / India· ongoing
Rabies: Fact sheet & Expert Consultation reports
World Health Organization
WHO guidance and burden estimates on human rabies, dog vaccination thresholds (~70%) and elimination strategy.
rabiesburdenvaccination
Government· India· ongoing
Rabies surveillance & National Rabies Control Programme
National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)
National programme and surveillance activity for rabies control, including animal-bite and case reporting. 2024 figures: 3.7 million reported dog-bite cases and 54 officially suspected human rabies deaths nationwide.
rabiessurveillance
Research· India· 2024
Estimates of the burden of human rabies deaths and animal bites in India, 2022-23
Peer-reviewed (community-based cross-sectional survey & probability decision-tree modelling)
Independent modelled estimate of India's true rabies death toll, around 18,000-20,000 deaths a year, roughly 350x the number captured by official passive surveillance. The gap between this and NCDC's reported figures is one of the platform's clearest data-gap findings.
rabiesburdenmethodology
Government· India (state-wise)· 2025
Supreme Court review of state ABC compliance
Supreme Court of India (reported via independent press)
The Supreme Court's 2025 review found persistent gaps in ABC infrastructure and, as of its October 2025 deadline, only 2 of 28 states/UTs had filed the ordered sterilisation-compliance reports - direct evidence of how little state-wise ABC data is currently tracked or published.
ABCsterilisationpolicysurveillance
Research· India (city-level)· various
Peer-reviewed evaluations of ABC / vaccination programmes
Various (academic journals)
City-level studies (e.g. long-running ABC programmes) evaluating impact on dog population, rabies and bite incidence.
ABCeffectivenessmethodology
NGO· India· ongoing
AWBI guidelines & recognised AWO directory
Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)
Recognition of Animal Welfare Organisations and operational guidelines relevant to community-dog programmes.
organisationsguidelines
Research· India / Global· ongoing
State of Pet Homelessness Project
Mars Petcare (research collaboration)
Multi-country research estimating stray and homeless animal populations and drivers, including India.
populationwelfare
Research· Jaipur, Rajasthan· 2007
Impact of ABC on street dog population and rabies in Jaipur
Help in Suffering / peer-reviewed (WHO Bulletin and others)
Long-term study of Jaipur's ABC programme (operational since 1994) showing sustained reductions in street-dog density and elimination of human rabies deaths in the programme area over a decade of continuous sterilisation and vaccination.
ABCeffectivenessrabies
Research· India· 2022
One Health approach to rabies elimination in India
National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) / collaborators
Advocates for coordinated human-animal health strategies for rabies elimination, noting that dog vaccination alone at 70%+ coverage is the most cost-effective intervention.
rabiesvaccinationpolicyOne Health
Government· India· 1960
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960
Government of India
The foundational legislation governing animal welfare in India, establishing the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and defining cruelty offences. ABC Rules and AWBI guidelines are issued under this act.
policywelfarelegal framework
Government· India· 2024
National Guidelines for Management of Animal Bites
National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)
Updated national clinical guidelines on post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for animal bites, including wound management, vaccination schedules, and immunoglobulin use.
rabiespost-bitepublic health
Government· India· 2025
21st Livestock Census (announced)
Dept. of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD)
India's next decennial livestock census, which will update the 2019 street-dog population baseline. Previous census found 15.3 million stray dogs nationally.
populationcensus
Have a dataset or study to add? It can be normalised into Explore and cited here.