Bengaluru: BBMP defends stray dog feeding program amid backlash over chicken rice menu

Facing intense public scrutiny over its decision to feed stray dogs chicken rice, the BBMP's Animal Husbandry Department has issued a detailed clarification addressing the most frequently asked questions and defending the initiative. This comes after social media outrage and citizen complaints questioned the Rs 2.88 crore annual budget and the ethics of serving meat to street animals, especially when compared to welfare spending on human needs.

Also Read:Bengaluru: BBMP spends Rs 24 on dog meals, just Rs 12 on children’s lunches!

The BBMP clarified that this is not a new initiative but an extension of the COVID-era feeding programme, redesigned as per the 2023 Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules laid out by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI). The civic body now aims to feed around 5,000 dogs daily across various zones, with the food being prepared by certified local vendors and monitored by zonal officers.

ಬಿಬಿಎಂಪಿ ಬೀದಿ ನಾಯಿ ಫೀಡಿಂಗ್ ಯೋಜನೆಯ ಕುರಿತು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಉತ್ತರಗಳು ಇಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ನಾಗರೀಕರು ನಮ್ಮ ಸಹಾಯವಾಣಿ 1533 ಗೆ ಕರೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಸಹ ಮಾಹಿತಿಯನ್ನು ಪಡೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳಬಹುದು. pic.twitter.com/nLU2C7xAkQ

— Bbmp.animalhusbandry (@BBMP_AHD)

ಬಿಬಿಎಂಪಿ ಬೀದಿ ನಾಯಿ ಫೀಡಿಂಗ್ ಯೋಜನೆಯ ಕುರಿತು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಉತ್ತರಗಳು ಇಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ನಾಗರೀಕರು ನಮ್ಮ ಸಹಾಯವಾಣಿ 1533 ಗೆ ಕರೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಸಹ ಮಾಹಿತಿಯನ್ನು ಪಡೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳಬಹುದು. pic.twitter.com/nLU2C7xAkQ

— Bbmp.animalhusbandry (@BBMP_AHD) July 12, 2025

">July 12, 2025

According to the clarification, each dog’s feeding cost, including food, transportation, and cleaning, comes to Rs 19 per day, not the Rs 24 per dog figure being circulated earlier. The objective, BBMP argues, is to improve sterilization rates, reduce aggression and biting incidents, and support public health goals like rabies control.

Responding to criticism over using chicken waste, the BBMP stated that the food is not biryani, but a nutritionally planned cooked meal based on the dogs’ digestive needs and past pilot experiences. The chicken component is primarily leftover waste from existing human demand and not freshly slaughtered birds, the department clarified.

BBMP also addressed ethical concerns about spending taxpayer money on stray dogs, saying that feeding is a legal requirement under national ABC policy, and that building dog pounds is not permitted under the law. They reiterated that the goal is population control, not encouragement, with feeding used as a tool to trap and vaccinate dogs more efficiently.