New Delhi: Kerala has told the Supreme Court that identifying specific locations to house stray dogs has been a major challenge.

Kerala’s Chief Secretary A Jayathilak filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court explaining the steps the state has taken to address the stray dog issue. The affidavit, filed in court by the state’s Standing Counsel CK Sasi, details the challenges faced in establishing dog shelters to house stray dogs.

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Jayathilak informed the court that there has been  widespread public opposition to Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres established for mass sterilisation of stray dogs. At the centre in Thalassery, 77 stray dogs were sterilised, but the facility was forced to close following protests and has not reopened, the Chief Secretary said.

At present, Kerala has only two operational dog shelters. The Chief Secretary informed the court that the state revenue and local self-government departments are taking steps to identify additional sites.

Also Read | Stray dog menace: Kerala mulls creation of ‘dog parks’ to comply with SC ruling 

Finding unused land a challenge

Kerala is a densely populated state with little distinction between urban and rural areas. “Finding unused land has therefore been extremely challenging,” Chief Secretary told the Supreme Court.

The affidavit also notes that authorities have been directed to identify “hotspots” in Kerala where stray dogs cause the most problems, in order to prioritise intervention.

The controversial SC order 

In August 2025, the SC had mandated the immediate creation of dog shelters with sufficient personnel for the sterilization and long-term detention of dogs, which could then be released back into their orginal localities.

The court had also prohibited public feeding of stray dogs on streets in a bid to reduce human-animal conflict, directing municipal authorities to set up designated feeding areas in each ward. These zones must be established based on the population and concentration of strays in each municipal area, the court order read.

Currently, 22 feeding centres have been set up across the state to provide food for stray dogs.