Lack of birth control centres, shortage of vets, leads to spike in dog bites, rabies deaths across south India

Dog -bite events continue to be an important public health problem in Southern India, and despite various measures to control the problem, deaths related to rabies continue to increase.

According to the government’s reaction to Lok Sabha on July 22, 2025, 37 lakh dog bite cases and 54 suspects were recorded in 2024. National Disease Control Center, 37 Lakh Dog Bite Case and 54 suspects that year confirmed rabies death.

The government assumed the responsibility to manage the street dog population on municipalities. SP Singh Baghel, Fisheries, Livestock and Milkism State Minister in a written response, to regulate the dog numbers of the animal birth control (ABC) said that the program was implemented throughout the country. However, despite the ongoing sterilization drivers and vaccination campaigns, the data from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, TaLangana and Kerala show that the problem is far from solving. The street dog population continued to grow and civil reactions were limited.

Transition to human health

For example, the Public Health Directorate in Tamil Nadu reported an amazing 1.24 Lakh dog bite cases and four rabies deaths only in the first three months of 2025. The deaths of rabies rose from 18 deaths in 2023 to 43 in 2024.

In mid -2025, 18 rabies deaths were recorded, which showed that there was a higher mortality for one year. Despite these terrible statistics, the state’s sterilization efforts are struggling to keep up with the increasing population of stray dogs.

An official research in Chennai estimated 1.8 Lakh street dogs in the city in 2024, but the real number could be much higher. Experts recommend that at least 90% of dogs sterilize in a short time to break the reproductive cycle, but the number of sterilization in 2023 in the Great Chennai Corporation shows a marginal decrease in 14.885 and 2024.

Meanwhile, 2024 3.6 lakh dog bite in Karnataka and 42 rabies death. This continued until 2025 and Bangalore Urban reported 8,878 dog bite between January and June. Bruhat Bengaluru Managara Palike (BBMP) region, which contains the nucleus of the city, recorded 13,831 cases in just six months. In this period, despite the fact that rabies death was not reported in these regions, Bangalore Urban was responsible for 9 of 9 rabies deaths throughout the state.

The situation in the city reflects the ongoing challenges in controlling the street dog population despite the efforts in more wealthy neighborhoods where state institutions are active, especially in poor regions.

Haydarabad also saw a dramatic increase in Dog Bite in TaLangana, which doubled in 2022 from 10,078 to 21.131 in 2024. The situation is terrible, bigger heyarabad has now reported more than 100 dog bites every day.

Between 2021 and 2024, the state recorded 3.3 lakh dog bite cases and Haydarabad contributed significantly to the collection. Local residents expressed the fear of allowing their children to play outside because of aggressive street dogs. “My child can play safely in a complex because I live in a society that forbids street dogs, N. A five -year -old mother N. Sravani said.

In Kerala, the situation is in the same way. Dog bite cases rose from 1.19 Lakh to 2024 in 2014 to approximately 3.16 Lakh and doubled in the last decade. The increase in deaths with rabies was concern: 25 deaths in 2023, 26 in 2024 and 16 deaths in the first five months of 2025.

In a significant way, some of the dead have received rabies vaccines, in some cases show that the virus reaches the nervous system very quickly and neutralizes the vaccine. In contrast, the Kerala government plans to place mobile ABC units in 152 blocks Panchayats and aims to better control the street dog population.

For many, fear of stray dogs is a daily reality, which makes simple activities such as taking children for a walk or playing outside a intimidating task.

Difficulties in controlling street dog populations

The ability to manage and control the street dog population is prevented with several significant difficulties. An important issue is the lack of infrastructure, especially in terms of the shortage of animal birth control centers and trained veterinary professionals.

Shrouti Vinod Raj, an honorary member of Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board, said that only Chennai needs 17 ABC center to deal with an increasing number of stray dogs. Currently, the city has only five, ten more plan. Existing centers are not enough to meet the demand and only a portion of the required sterilization procedures are carried out.

He also says that qualified veterinarians are a significant problem to fulfill these basic procedures. The lack of qualified professionals in these centers makes the problem worse. In response to this, the animal welfare board and the department of livestock are working to provide targeted training to veterinarians to work especially in these centers, but this initiative is still in the early stages.

Another important challenge comes in the form of bureaucratic bureaucracy that delays the establishment of new ABC centers. An Animal Welfare Organization in Haydarabad, working with the local organ for ABC, said that the approval of proposals to establish new centers may take years and in the meantime, the street dog population is not controlled, he said. In many cases, when a new center is operational, the Stray population has significantly increased.

Local residents also notice these gaps in the system. Bangalore resident K. Guru, some wealthy areas due to active government intervention, while the number of stray dogs have seen a decrease, while the situation in other parts of the city remained terrible, he said. “In rich neighborhoods, there seems to be some progress in controlling the street dog population. However, in other parts of the city, the problem is just getting worse,” he said.

Experts have called for a better infrastructure, more educated veterinarians, and a more coordinated, widespread response, including faster decision -making to address the issue comprehensively. Until these difficulties are discussed, the increase in dog bite cases and rabies deaths will continue.

Published – 26 July 2025 05:34 pm ist