Can Climate Change Influence Animal Behaviour?

Does climate change influence the behaviour of animals, particularly dogs? Dr Rina Mukherji endeavours to find out in this thought-provoking article.

- Dr Rina Mukherji

Let's Try and Find Out!

Dogs have always been considered man’s best friend. But the last few years have seen a spate of attacks by dogs—both strays and pets—that have forced us to re-examine our love for these creatures.

In February 2023, a horrifying video surfaced showing a 4-year-old boy getting mauled by street dogs in a Hyderabad housing society. The boy succumbed to his injuries when taken to hospital. The following month, two brothers aged 7 and 5 years, were mauled to death by strays in Ruchi Vihar, near Vasant Kunj in Delhi when they went to the nearby forest tract to relieve themselves. In June 2023, a girl was attacked and dragged by strays in Koppal, Karnataka.

In 2022, there were over 5500 cases of dog bites reported daily from all over India. Of these, 30–60 per cent occurred in children under 15 years of age. Between 2019 and 2022, India reported 16 million cases of stray dog bites, as per data released during a Parliamentary debate in November 2022. Maharashtra led in the number of dog bite and attack cases, with 346, 318 cases. This was followed by Tamil Nadu with 330,264 cases, and Andhra Pradesh with 169,378 cases. But even states such as Kerala, which did not figure among the top three, saw many gruesome attacks by stray dogs across its towns and cities, with 137,137 cases reported within 5 months of 2023. The situation was so grim that the Kerala government recently approached the Supreme Court to allow the culling of violent strays, especially those with rabies.