Dog bite cases in India see almost 70% jump in three years, shows data

Dog bite cases across India rose by nearly 70 per cent between 2022 and 2024, according to data recently shared in Parliament. The increase in such cases was observed in almost all states.

 

The figures were based on data from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

 

Alongside the rise in dog bite incidents, deaths caused by rabies also witnessed a sharp increase during the period under review, although the reasons behind this trend may vary.

 

Increasing stray dog population and cases of dog bites have led to public safety concerns in several urban agglomerates in the country, and the question of controlling stray dog population in some instances have become an emotive political issue.

 

In its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress said that the “menace of stray dogs has acquired alarming proportions”. It said “solutions will be found that will protect humans (especially children) and that are consistent with humanitarian approach to animals”.

 

More recently, former Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Goel has launched a “countrywide” campaign to make the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, stringent. Over the past week, a Goel-led outfit put up posters and hoardings across Delhi and its nearby areas, and advertised in newspapers, seeking to build public opinion on the issue.

 

Goel said thousands from across Delhi and its nearby cities, such as Gurugram and Noida, have shared their feedback on the issue of stray dogs overpopulation and risks to humans. He said he has held meetings in Pune as well. “I am not against dogs but dog bites. The so-called animal lovers are not willing to adopt even a single stray dog. The biggest victims of these stray dogs are children and the elderly,” he said.

 

Stray dog overpopulation has become a challenge in Goa, Bengaluru, Pune, and several cities and towns, with the courts and National Human Rights Commission periodically instructing civic bodies to be more proactive in dealing with it.

 

In a Parliament reply, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said that the intensive implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme by local bodies is the only rational and scientific solution to street dog overpopulation and the control of rabies incidents. 

 

“Dogs are sterilised and released back to their original habitats, and since dogs are territorial, they stay in their locality and do not allow dogs from other neighbouring areas to come in,” the reply stated. These dogs are also vaccinated annually so they are protected from rabies, and even if they bite accidentally, they may not transmit rabies, it added.

 

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has also published a revised ABC module aimed at managing the street dog population, eradicating rabies and reducing human-dog conflict, the ministry said. 

Dog Bite Cases Between 2022 and 2025 (Jan-Dec)*
State	2022	2023	2024	% Change**
Andaman and Nicobar Islands	345	528	455	31.9
Andhra Pradesh	192360	212146	245174	27.5
Arunachal Pradesh	2501	4409	6388	155.4
Assam	39919	94945	166232	316.4
Bihar	141926	241827	263930	86.0
Chandigarh	5365	11782	8644	61.1
Chhattisgarh	21365	29221	38268	79.1
Delhi	6691	17874	25210	276.8
Dadra and Nagar Haveli	4169	5921	7926	90.1
Goa	8057	11904	17236	113.9
Gujarat	169363	278537	392837	131.9
Haryana	35837	42690	60417	68.6
Himachal Pradesh	15935	21096	22909	43.8
Jammu and Kashmir	22110	34664	51027	130.8
Jharkhand	9539	31251	43874	359.9
Karnataka	163356	232715	361494	121.3
Kerala	4000	71606	115046	2776.2
Ladakh	2165	2569	4078	88.4
Lakshwadeep	0	0	0	0.0
Madhya Pradesh	66018	113499	142949	116.5
Maharashtra	393020	472790	485345	23.5
Manipur	4450	2964	9257	108.0
Meghalaya	5302	9611	17784	235.4
Mizoram	891	1141	1873	110.2
Nagaland	452	600	714	58.0
Odisha	65396	92848	166792	155.0
Puducherry	11937	13006	12148	1.8
Punjab	15519	18680	22912	47.6
Rajasthan	88029	103533	140543	59.7
Sikkim	3845	6636	8601	123.7
Tamil Nadu	364435	441796	480427	31.8
Telangana	92924	119014	121997	31.3
Tripura	3051	6510	9641	216.0
Uttarakhand	15649	25623	23091	47.6
Uttar Pradesh	191361	229921	164009	-14.3
West Bengal	22627	48664	76486	238.0
ALL INDIA	2189909	3052521	3715714	69.7
*As per Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP)

       

** Change between 2022 and 2024

        Source: Parliament of India