Despite regular sterilisation, stray dog numbers have soared over the past 5 years
The city reported around 85,000 dog bite cases every year before Covid
Mumbai has been witnessing an average of 60,000 dog bite cases each year. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sterilised around 90,000 stray dogs since 2018, but civic officials estimate that the number of dogs has increased from 95,127 in 2014 to around 1.64 lakh at present. The dog census hasn’t been carried out yet.
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The city would report around 85,000 dog bite cases every year before COVID. While this number has reduced to around 60,000 cases per year after COVID, no particular reason was cited for the decline. As per the dog census carried out in 2014, there were 95,174 stray dogs and 25,935 were found to be unsterilised. Of these, 14,674 were male and 11,261 were female. “An unsterilised female dog can give birth to at least four puppies and they become fertile within a year. Thus the number of dogs has increased continuously. It is estimated that there are currently about 1.64 lakh dogs in the city,” said an official from the BMC.
According to civic officials, the number of sterilisations has been reduced since 2019. “We appointed NGOs to catch and sterilise dogs. But catching them is a very skilful job and many of the dogs have already been sterilised so the number of new sterilisations is lower now,” said Kalimpasha Pathan, general manager of Deonar Abattoir of the BMC. He added that the BMC is instead focusing on anti-rabies vaccination of dogs so even after a dog bite there isn’t any human fatality. “In the last few years, though the numbers of dog bites are above 60,000, no human casualty has been recorded in Mumbai,” said a
BMC official.
Meanwhile, city MP Rahul Shewale has written to the BMC about forming an action plan regarding the stray dog menace. In a letter dated October 27 to civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal, Shewale mentioned that there was a fatal attack on the postman in Mumbai by stray dogs. “It is evident that many of these stray dogs do not receive proper care, nourishment, or medical attention, which leads to various diseases among them. This is a distressing situation for all animal lovers and compassionate individuals,” the letter read. Shewale proposed the establishment of a shelter house for these stray dogs as a solution to the problem.
85,000
No of stray dog bites in city before Covid
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