In Madurai, Tamil Nadu, 44,000 cases of dog bites have been reported in 2025 so far, as per reports. This is significantly higher compared to the 38,000 cases of dog bite reported in 2024.
Two cases of death by rabies have been reported this year, while the government-run Rajaji hospital sees 20 cases of dog bite on an average day, as per TOI.
Children, elderly and the differently abled citizens become the worst victims of stray dog bites, while a worrying number of road accidents are being caused by stray dogs in the city. The last dog census in the city reported 38,438 stray dogs. But activists and locals say that the numbers are significantly higher now. Numerous food stalls in the streets of the city, lack of proper waste disposal, and failure to implement sterilisation is causing a rapid increase in the stray dog population in the city, a veterinary doctor was quoted as saying.
This year, 4302 dogs have been vaccinated against rabies as a part of the government drive, but the numbers are nothing compared to the number of street dogs present. Citizens have reported that there are over a dozen dogs in every street and there is no way to know which dog has been vaccinated.
