Over 12,000 dog, cat bite cases reported at ARC SMHS in last one year; 70,000 since 2015

Srinagar: A whopping 12,833 bite victims, mostly from dog and cat bites, sought treatment at the Anti-Rabies Clinic at Srinagar's Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital in the past year, officials said.

- NL CORESSPONDENT

They said the prevalence of dogs across the valley has contributed to human-dog conflicts, leading to a rise in cases of dog bites in the region. They added that rearing cats at home has also led to bite cases.

Officials informed the news agency that in the last one year, from June 2024 to May 2025, ARC SMHS Hospital received 12,833 cases, including 6,258 dog bites, 6,095 cat exposures, and 480 other bite cases. They said the cat exposure is increasing exponentially over the last few years, as many people are keeping them as pets, while almost all dog bites are reported from stray dogs.

"We receive over one thousand animal bite scratch exposures every month in Anti-Rabies, and in the last one year, around 13,000 cases have been reported," they added. This figure of 12,833 cases marks the highest recorded in the past decade, underscoring the urgent need to address the issue immediately, officials said.