Overflowing bins, open dumping yards, and irregular garbage collection have made many neighbourhoods attractive feeding grounds for stray dogs, worsening the situation.
Published Jul 02, 2025 | 5:18 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 02, 2025 | 8:45 PM
Environmental stresses may also lead to more aggressive behaviour, increasing the risk of dog bites.
Synopsis: Tamil Nadu is facing a worsening dog bite crisis, with over 1.24 lakh cases reported in the first three months of 2025 alone. Experts cite urban neglect, rising temperatures, and policy failures as key factors.
In January 2025, Tamil Nadu recorded the third-highest number of reported dog bite cases in India, with a staggering 48,931 incidents, according to data from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India.
In the following three months, the number rose to 1.24 lakh cases, as per figures from the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. This trend reflects the scale of the problem seen through 2024, which saw a total of 4.8 lakh dog bite incidents and 47 deaths due to rabies.
“We see at least a dozen stray dogs on every street corner, and their numbers are only increasing by the day,” said a resident of Indira Nagar in Chennai.
“At night, most side roads have no street lights. We feel unsafe walking through them because of the dogs, and their loud barking makes it hard to sleep,” they added.
“No matter how well you treat your pet dog at home, if they get a chance, they will wander the streets looking for tasty waste in garbage bins,” said Sundarmurti Raju, a social activist and consultant.
Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai, continues to face challenges in effective waste management.
Overflowing bins, open dumping yards, and irregular garbage collection have made many neighbourhoods attractive feeding grounds for stray dogs, worsening the situation.
“Garbage dumping yards are perfect breeding grounds, where stray dogs stay and keep multiplying in large numbers,” Raju added.
In Greater Chennai, each municipality is equipped with a dog-catching van and a small team trained to manage strays.
“There aren’t enough workers to tackle this problem, especially given the volume of garbage spread across Chennai, which spans around 80 town panchayats,” he said.
The rise in stray dog populations – particularly in cities – is largely due to insufficient sterilisation and poor control over free-roaming animals, according to Dr Sudhir Kumar, Senior Consultant Neurologist at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.
Open garbage and leftover food waste in urban areas further support the growth of stray colonies.
He explained that as humans and dogs live in closer proximity, the risk of conflict increases. Unvaccinated and unsocialised dogs, especially when startled or threatened, are more likely to display aggression.
The root of the issue, Dr Kumar said, lies in inadequate implementation of Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes and mismanagement of solid waste.
These conditions create breeding grounds for strays. The situation is worsened by “rapid urbanisation, weak public policies on dog management, and delayed vaccine drives.”
Bite cases tend to increase during hot and humid months, particularly in cities, with a decline seen during the monsoon season. Although rural trends are less studied, Dr Kumar suggested they may differ due to outdoor sleeping, farming cycles, food insecurity, and varying waste disposal habits.
He also noted that dogs often follow rodents and agricultural waste. Community feeding and certain religious practices contribute to the sustenance of stray dog populations.
“Low ABC and vaccination coverage continue due to limited veterinary services,” he said, adding that unmanaged dumping of food scraps and ritual offerings further fuels the problem.
Delayed post-exposure treatment (PEP) and low public awareness, especially in rural areas, significantly increase the risk of rabies, he warned.
A study published in the Indian Journal of Community Medicine by Asokan et al. explored the link between dog bite cases and weather patterns in metropolitan cities.
The study notes that dog bites are a major public health issue in India. The research focused on how dog bite incidents vary over time and how they relate to different weather factors.
“Climate change and extreme weather can affect ecosystems and change how animals, including dogs, behave,” the study said.
As temperatures rise or habitats shift, dogs’ access to food, movement patterns, and territorial behaviour can be affected. These environmental stresses may also lead to more aggressive behaviour, increasing the risk of dog bites.
The study analysed 3,350 dog bite cases reported at a hospital in 2022.
Of those, 81.6 percent of the victims were male, and 70.7 percent were under the age of 40. Many had sustained serious injuries categorised as category III bites, and in 74 percent of the cases, stray dogs – not pets – were responsible.
The study found a clear link between weather and the frequency of bites. The number of cases rose during hotter months and in periods with longer hours of sunlight.
“A positive correlation was found between the number of dog bites and temperature,” it stated.
Conversely, bite incidents declined on rainy days and during periods of high humidity – a trend also seen in more severe bite cases.
Speaking to The South First, Dr TS Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said, “The action against dog bites and rabies cases should start from the base – that is, to prevent the increasing number of stray dogs.”
“This issue can only be addressed through coordinated efforts by the government, health department, and municipal corporations,” he added.
Emphasising the importance of early action, Dr Selvavinayagam said that the department responds quickly when dog bite cases are reported, offering vaccinations and necessary care.
“But that alone is not sufficient,” he said.
“To reduce the number of dog bite cases, we must first bring down the stray dog population. We also advise people to vaccinate their pet dogs and to report any pet bite incidents.”
An official from the health education wing of the Greater Chennai Corporation noted, “We do have a lot of awareness campaigns at school level, but not specifically on stray dogs,” while referring to existing programmes on plastic use, drug abuse, and mental health.
A government school teacher, speaking to The South First, added, “There is no awareness programme in government schools about the rising dog bite cases and rabies in Tamil Nadu.”
Public health experts say these gaps in awareness underline the urgent need for targeted and ongoing education on stray dog safety and rabies prevention, particularly in schools.
“Schools must play an active role in awareness campaigns about dog bites and rabies prevention. Dog bites and cat scratches can transmit rabies. It is dangerous not to take a vaccine after assuming the animal doesn’t have rabies,” said Dr Rajeev Jayadevan of the Indian Medical Association.
He explained that timely first aid, followed by vaccines and serum, can greatly reduce the risk of rabies.
“We may not be able to stop all dog bites, but with proper awareness campaigns, we can lower the risk and save lives.”
Dr Jayadevan also stressed the importance of immediate first aid after a bite.
“The first and most important step after a dog bite is to wash each wound immediately and thoroughly with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes,” he said.
“The person washing the wound must wear gloves to avoid accidental exposure to the rabies virus. Our primary aim is to prevent this virus from entering the nerves present at the wound site,” he added.
Despite rising public concern, government officials have not provided any clear response about the steps being taken. Most did not respond to queries.
Some reports indicate that the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has paused Animal Birth Control (ABC) surgeries for three weeks, citing maintenance work and changes to the diet plan for sterilised dogs.
According to a 2024 survey by the civic body, Chennai had around 1.81 lakh stray dogs. Of these, only 27 percent had been sterilised – leaving more than 1.3 lakh dogs still capable of reproducing.
While the Corporation had announced plans to open 10 new ABC centres, construction has yet to begin. Meanwhile, four existing centres have shut down their operation theatres for maintenance.
Public anxiety continues to grow, as helpline numbers listed on official websites are either out of service or completely unreachable.
Without firm action to reduce the stray dog population – and if the focus remains only on post-bite vaccinations and treatment – the problem is likely to persist, with no lasting solution in sight.
