Children, disabled and the elderly: The most vulnerable victims of stray dog attacks

In 2024 alone, there were over 37 lakh cases of dog bites reported in India. The real numbers remain unknown as not all dog bite cases are reported. According to reports, around 20% of all bite victims were children. Studies have confirmed that children bear a disproportionate share of the burden of dog bite cases in India. An analysis estimates the number could even be double, at 40%, in rabies-endemic areas. Children are not the only ones who face the danger every day. The elderly, disabled, maids, daily wage workers and delivery partners are among the most affected.

Children often fall victim

On 18th July, a pack of street dogs mauled four-year-old Nithin to death at Rupla Thanda in Shivvampet Mandal of Telangana. The boy was on his way home after buying biscuits from a general store when the dogs attacked him. Nithin sustained serious injuries. Passers-by rescued him and his parents rushed the critically injured child to the government hospital in Narsapur, where doctors declared him brought dead.

Nithin did not die of rabies. He died of the dog bites he sustained during the attack, and this is not an isolated incident. There have been many cases where children have been mauled to death by packs of dogs, and in some cases, even pet dogs have killed children on streets without any provocation.

In May this year, a 4-month-old baby was attacked by a pet Rottweiler in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Dog lovers often claim that dog attacks are the result of prolonged abuse and attacks by humans. They should explain how a pet dog was attacked and abused by a 4-month-old toddler.

According to media reports, the maternal aunt of the baby girl took her out into the common garden of the housing society. At the same time, the owner of the Rottweiler was out with the dog while talking on the phone. The dog got aggressive for no reason and attacked the infant. The aunt and the infant were just sitting near the garden with others when the attack happened. It took seconds for the aggressive dog to maul the infant, who succumbed to injuries later in the hospital. The aunt also sustained serious injuries. Reportedly, the toddler sustained deep injuries on the neck and skull. How is this attack justified? How are the dog lovers, animal activists, judiciary and lawmakers going to justify allowing such breeds in the country?

Coming back to stray dogs, they commonly attack unsupervised children at play or when they are alone on the streets. Children’s smaller stature and curiosity make them easy targets. There are hundreds of reports where dogs have attacked school-age children. Children often become easy targets in different scenarios. For example, if children are playing near uncollected garbage that is frequently surrounded by hungry packs, dogs are going to attack the children one day or another.

To stop stray dog attacks on children, in July 2024, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs advised schools and parks to implement National Commission for Protection of Child Rights guidelines aimed at preventing attacks on children. However, despite the guidelines, the ground reality is in complete contrast, and child casualties continue to mount.

Disabled people face heightened risk

People with disabilities, especially sensory impairments, are extremely vulnerable to stray dog attacks. Mobility or vision limitations make it next to impossible for them to detect and avoid nearby dogs, and everyday aids can unintentionally provoke the stray dogs. For example, a visually impaired person uses a cane to walk, which can easily aggravate a pack of stray dogs, leading to an attack.

Persons with disabilities are far more prone to attacks, injuries and death by stray dogs as they are often unable to see, hear or avoid being attacked. On campuses and in markets, persons with disabilities may stumble over resting dogs, leading to an attack. For example, a first-year law student with 65% cerebral palsy in Odisha was chased repeatedly by packs of strays inside college grounds, which caused severe anxiety and health issues. In another case, an 11-year-old boy with a speech impairment from Kerala was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs and he could not cry out for help.

Notably, these dangers have not gone unnoticed. The Odisha High Court in 2024 upheld the fundamental right of disabled persons and ordered to remove the dogs from the law college premises. Activists working for the rights of disabled persons have argued that current no-kill dog policies that mandate the return of sterilised dogs to the street violate disability rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

In 2024, a PIL noted that India’s Animal Birth Control rules did not address the special danger faced by disabled people in public spaces. In short, lack of sight, sound or quick reflexes leaves many disabled individuals virtually defenceless against stray dogs. Delhi High Court, while hearing the PIL, noted, “The city has been taken over; nowhere in the world will you find a whole city taken over by dogs and monkeys. Today it is impossible to walk on the main streets.”

A practical solution for such issues would be designated no-dog zones, especially around schools for the blind, and legal liability for dog feeders. However, it appears that for dog lovers, dog feeders and animal activists, persons with disabilities virtually do not exist, as they keep on pushing for letting the stray dogs have the first right on the streets, and not humans.

Elderly people are also vulnerable

Frailer limbs, slower reflexes and a vulnerable state of mind make older adults easy targets of stray dogs. Multiple news reports have described how easily such individuals become a target. In Pune, an 88-year-old woman was bedridden after she was bitten multiple times by a stray dog that wandered into her home. In Aligarh, a pack of six stray dogs mauled an elderly man to death in a university park. The severity of these incidents is striking. In the Pune case, the woman was bitten on the face and hands.

Why are older people at risk? Many elderly individuals live alone or are cared for outdoors, for example, doing domestic work or walking for exercise. They may not notice a dog approaching and once they are on the ground, it is virtually impossible for them to scramble away. Even a non-fatal attack can leave an older person with serious injuries or trauma.

Older bite victims also run a higher risk of complications, including infection, as they may have other health conditions and are less likely to access immediate care, especially if they are living alone. The pattern is clear, stray dog packs tend to prey on the least mobile and least able to fend off an attack.

Despite clear precedent allowing removal of dangerous dogs under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the current ABC Rules make it practically impossible to permanently remove even repeat-offender dogs. Speaking to OpIndia, legal activist Muralidharan Shivalingam notes, “Nowhere do the Rules say dogs can’t be removed or euthanised. But that’s how they’re enforced, thanks to decades of misinformation and pressure tactics by powerful lobbies.”

Poor and working-class victims

A significant majority of bite victims are from economically weaker backgrounds. Daily wage earners, delivery workers, sanitation staff and house helps often fall victim to stray dog, as well as pet dog attacks. For instance, a Swiggy agent in Hyderabad died after leaping from a building to escape an aggressive dog that belonged to a customer. In Raipur, pit bulls mauled a delivery rider at a customer’s house. Rickshaw pullers, vendors and sanitation workers frequently report bites, but often avoid hospitals due to wage loss or unaffordability of vaccines.

Another activist, Ryan Lobo, spoke to OpIndia and cited a WHO-supported study from 2004 that estimates that over 75% of dog bite victims in India are from poor or marginalised communities. Yet, ironically, it is these very communities who are the least represented in the courtrooms or policymaking bodies defending the “rights” of stray dogs. Not to forget, a 4-month-old child was eaten by a stray dog while the child’s parents were working at a construction site nearby.

A policy designed for paralysis

Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, originally notified in 2001 and updated in 2023, mandate that stray dogs must be captured, sterilised, vaccinated and released in the same area. This policy, activists have argued, is fundamentally flawed.

The ABC Rules are subordinate legislation under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. However, as Ryan explains, “They are written through the lens of animal rights, not animal welfare. Globally, dog control is focused on ownership and accountability. In India, we have made street dogs a state-maintained hazard.”

Moreover, governments, both central and local, are spending crores on implementation of ABC Rules, but the number of strays remains unchecked. There are over 7 crore stray dogs in India, a number that should be more than enough to shake the lawmakers, but nothing is happening, thanks to the ABC Rules. Even in areas with high sterilisation coverage, new dogs quickly migrate in, filling the void. Feeding zones mandated under ABC further encourage this cycle.

Health threats beyond rabies

While rabies garners the most attention, fatal and life-altering outcomes from the sheer violence of dog bites and mauling incidents, without any rabies infection, are disturbingly common and deserve equal concern. Leptospirosis, campylobacter and other zoonotic diseases linked to dog faeces spike during monsoons. Contaminated water systems, open defecation by dogs and lack of routine veterinary screening contribute to these outbreaks. As Ryan points out, “Swachh Bharat succeeded in curbing human open defecation. But disease burdens haven’t reduced, because dog faeces in urban areas remains unchecked.”

Legal confusion, activist pressure and foreign funding

It has been made clear by the judiciary that stray dog management is a state subject. The governments are free to take decisions to protect human life. However, local bodies often hesitate, fearing litigation. Many NGOs file PILs within hours of any municipal action, armed with high-profile lawyers and backed by opaque foreign funds. In conversation with OpIndia, Muralidharan highlighted that ABC Rules were “written without jurisdiction”. Enforcement of these rules is based mostly on fear, not law.

Conclusion – Human rights must come first

India cannot claim to be a civilised, developing nation while it continues to allow its weakest citizens, children, the elderly, disabled and poor, to be regularly injured or killed by an unmanaged stray dog population. No law or rule justifies this breakdown of the state’s duty to protect.

Vaccinating and sterilising dogs is not enough if dangerous ones are allowed to remain on the streets. True animal welfare must walk hand-in-hand with public safety. And as Ryan bluntly noted, “A sterilised dog can still kill.”

It is time for India to course-correct, legally, morally and medically.

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