The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) recently claimed that there has been a significant drop in rabies cases among stray dogs in the city. PMC claimed that the drop in rabies cases is due to improved vaccination and sterilisation efforts.
However, in July this year, while replying to a Right to Information application submitted by activist Vihar Durve, PMC revealed that there has been a sharp rise in dog bite incidents across the city, telling a different story about the effectiveness of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules 2023. The rise in dog bite cases raises serious concerns about public safety and the limits of a rabies-only approach to the stray dog crisis.
PMC’s health department data show that suspected rabies cases among stray dogs have dropped from 373 in 2018 to just 19 so far in 2025. The number of confirmed cases of rabies has fallen from 220 to just 3 during the same period. Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Sarika Funde-Bhosale attributed the drop in numbers to mass vaccination, awareness drives, and better coordination in executing the ABC programme. Since 2021, PMC has administered 1.91 lakh vaccinations and the rabies positivity rate has declined to 15% in 2025.
Nearly 1 lakh dog bite cases since 2022
Though the number of rabies cases among dogs has declined sharply, that does not mean stray dogs do not cause harm to humans in other ways. The RTI reply has revealed that the broader threat from stray dogs remains unresolved. Over 1 lakh dog bite cases have been treated within PMC limits in government hospitals since 2022. In 2022, there were 21,000 dog bite cases. In 2024, the number went up to 37,000, and in 2025, there were 16,000 cases reported in the first five months.
PMC claimed that increased awareness and the reporting of minor scratches have inflated the figures. However, it has to be noted that even a minor scratch or a lick by a rabies-infected dog is deadly. Taking the matter leniently or saying minor cases inflated the numbers should not be the approach PMC adopts.
Speaking to Times of India, Durve questioned the explanation, pointing to a contradiction. He said, “If the stray dog population has indeed dropped from 3.15 lakh in 2018 to 1.79 lakh in 2023, why are dog bite cases steadily rising? Either the sterilisation is ineffective, or the population claims are flawed.”
Focus must go beyond rabies
The focus of PMC should not be limited to rabies, as it masks the wider failure of the ABC programme, which is, in fact, supposed to control the dog population. If there is an increase in the number of dog bites, it is safe to assume that the dog population has significantly increased in the city. The civic body has claimed that they have doubled the sterilisation surgeries in five years, from 11,000 in 2018–19 to 27,000 in 2022–23. However, the threat to citizens, especially children and the elderly, continues unabated.
Durve added, “In case of pet dog attacks, owners are held responsible. Why should the PMC not be held liable for stray dog attacks? Compensation should not be goodwill, but a matter of accountability.”
Interestingly, a 2023 report claimed that the number of dogs in Pune decreased by 42%, but the number of dog bite cases saw hardly any change, raising questions about the dog census conducted by the local authorities. Here, it is essential to point out that the Government of India has clearly stated that the livestock census at the central level, which includes the census of stray dogs, is done only once every five years. However, local authorities can conduct the census periodically on their own.
It is time authorities start to look at the broader implications of stray dogs instead of just concentrating on the number of rabies cases in dogs or humans.
OpIndia is doing a series on Stray Dog Menace in India that can be checked here.
