Over 37 lakh cases of dog bites in a year, but Govt action limited to ‘rules’, no emphasis on accountability, safety of children and elderly still not a priority
On 22nd July 2025, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying informed Lok Sabha that there were over 37 lakh dog bite incidents and 54 suspected human rabies deaths in 2024 alone. Yet, instead of addressing growing public demands for decisive action to remove stray dogs from public spaces, the government reiterated its faith in the controversial Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023 that are centred entirely on sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination.
Notably, the ABC Rules 2023 strictly prohibit the removal of dogs, even rabid ones with no sign of communicable diseases like rabies, from any area. If a dog is captured after it bites someone and it does not show signs of infection within the prescribed time frame, it has to be released in the same area from where it was picked.
The reply was provided by Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri SP Singh Baghel in response to a detailed query by Congress MP Dr Bachhav Shobha Dinesh. The MP had asked the Ministry to provide information on the plan to eliminate the stray dog menace and to explain its stance on court-mandated enforcement of animal welfare committees within Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), alongside fund allocations, penalties, census protocols and bite data.
The answer provided by the government was more focused on upholding the ABC framework than recognising the growing human cost of non-removal of stray dogs from the streets.
AWBI’s reach into RWAs raises questions of mandate
In the reply, the government revealed that the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) issued 166 letters between 2024 and June 2025 to RWAs, apartment associations and local bodies regarding community dog feeding disputes. Notably, the ABC Rules 2023 have changed the nomenclature of stray dogs to “community dogs” to give an impression that these dogs are not ownerless.
These letters were sent in the name of compliance with Rule 20 of the ABC Rules that demand the formation of animal welfare committees and ask local residents to designate feeding spots for stray dogs. While these spots are supposed to be away from areas where vulnerable individuals including children and the elderly play or walk in the society, Rule 20 of the ABC Rules is often misused by dog feeders and dog lovers to pressurise RWAs into allowing dog feeding anywhere in the societies.
AWBI is supposed to be a department for the purpose of animal welfare. However, its growing reach into civilian housing societies where cases of dog bites, child maulings and civic disruption are becoming common, has sparked concerns over government priorities. Instead of enabling communities to restrict or remove dog populations, the focus appears to be on protecting the dogs, even at the cost of human safety.
No penalty for non-compliance, yet continued pressure on RWAs
Although the Ministry admitted that there is no provision to penalise RWAs for not implementing the High Court guidelines or forming animal welfare committees, it continues to exert administrative pressure through advisories and correspondence. Notably, though there are no penalties, dog lovers and feeders often tend to involve NGOs and local police, leading to harassment of the residents who do not want dogs in the society or around their houses.
Annual dog bite figures cross 37 lakh, yet no removal mechanism in sight
The government has yet again admitted that the number of dog bites on record has surpassed 37 lakh in 2024 alone. The figure does not include unreported cases and cannot be dismissed as minor given that toddlers, the elderly and even healthy adults have died due to such attacks in recent years, not just because of rabies but because of the injuries sustained during the attack.
Instead of proposing removals, culling, or creation of dog-free zones in high-risk areas, the government response sticks to the tried and tested (but failed) route of vaccination and neutering. The ABC Rules that mandate vaccination and neutering of dogs have been in place since 2001 when the Rules were first introduced, yet the dog population has spiked exponentially, making it a threat for humans as well as wildlife.
The ABC Rules, that are being treated as the gospel solution, are widely criticised for their impracticality and for leaving no scope to remove even aggressive dogs.
Funds, not action – The neuter-vaccinate logic continues
Under the Animal Disease Control Programme’s ASCAD component, the Centre approved Rs 1,423 lakh for anti-rabies vaccines in FY 2024-25 alone, totalling over Rs 35 crore since 2020. This sizeable spending seems justified on paper but makes little difference on the ground where sterilisation failures, aggressive dog behaviour, and population surges remain common.
Notably, rabid tigers and elephants with histories of attacks on humans are routinely tranquilised and put down. However, the absence of any serious discussion around the removal of violent or unmanageable stray dogs remains baffling.
Census deferred to municipalities, no central plan to assess reality annually
The reply also clarified that while a livestock census is conducted every five years by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, there is no centralised annual dog census. The government has pointed out that municipalities are free to conduct their own counts under the ABC Rules. However, there is no clarity on the methodology, funding or accountability. This decentralised and inconsistent census approach only weakens the policy framework and obstructs evidence-based planning.
Is public safety no longer a priority?
The government has continued to rely on vaccination and neutering campaigns, despite over three million dog bite cases annually. It has prompted an uncomfortable question: is the safety of humans, particularly children and the elderly, now secondary to animal rights lobbying? Not to forget, Karnataka has a fund allocation of Rs 12.42 per meal for midday meals for children but the budget for dog feeding is Rs 22 per meal. It shows that the priorities are skewed.
The Centre is working towards a “Rabies-free India” by 2030. However, rabies is not the only issue with stray dogs. The uncontrolled growing population of stray dogs has made every nook and corner of the country unsafe. The threat of stray dogs killing people continues to grow while the solution remains caged in court rulings and failed sterilisation drives.
OpIndia is doing a series on Stray Dog Menace in India which can be checked here.
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