Stray count drops, bite cases on rise

PMC data shows sharp fall in stray population due to sterilisation drives, but over one lakh citizens treated for dog bites since 2022

- Indu Bhagat

The number of stray dogs in Pune has fallen significantly over the past few years, but incidents of dog bites continue to rise, according to data released by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

In 2018, the city had around 3.15 lakh stray dogs. By 2023, the number had dropped to 1.79 lakh, a decline officials attribute to large-scale sterilisation and rabies vaccination drives.

Dr Sarika Funde from PMC's Veterinary Department said, "Our focus has been on controlling the population through sterilisation and ensuring mass rabies vaccination." She noted that the number of stray dogs sterilised rose from 11,000 in 2018-19 to 27,000 in 2022-23, leading to a marked drop in the reproduction rate.