Rudrapur Nagar Nigam in collaboration with teams from Humane World For Animals India launched Rudrapur’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) program in 2024. The main focus of this program was to reduce rabies risk by reducing the conflict between humans and dogs and the birth of unwanted puppies, while in alignment with Humane World for Animals broader mission of promoting humane street dog population management across India.

By meeting its goals in just 19 months, the program exceeded expectations and finished the project six months ahead of schedule. A third-party assessment estimates that 95.3% of Rudrapur's 5,500 or more street canines have received vaccinations and sterilisations. This represented an overachievement of more than 15 percent and greatly above the initial 80 percent goal set in the Memorandum of Understanding.

Alongside sterilisation and vaccination efforts, programme teams actively engaged with residents by addressing public concerns related to suspected rabies cases, dog bite incidents, and relocation requests. This outreach played a key role in building trust between citizens, highlighting how informed public participation can strengthen humane solutions.

Rudrapur’s success demonstrates that with effective planning, consistent implementation, and transparent communication, ABC programmes can deliver measurable results in a relatively short period of time. The city now stands as a strong example of how systematic and humane street dog management can benefit both communities and animals when carried out responsibly.

Photo: Hiraj Laljani / Humane World for Animals
Source: Humane World for Animals Press Release (February 6, 2026)