India Is Home To 1.53 Crore Stray Dogs - A Snapshot Of The Stray Dog Situation In India

Hyderabad: On Monday, i.e. August 11, the Supreme Court (SC) said that it is crucial to counter the stray-dog-bite menace in India, calling the situation regarding stray dogs ‘extremely grim’. The apex court also directed that all stray dogs in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) be caught and relocated to dedicated dog shelters (to be set up by the civic bodies), within eight weeks. It sparked debate and criticism from animal rights activists like Menaka Gandhi, who called the move 'irrational' and 'stemming from anger'.

Whether sheltering alone is the solution to reducing dog bites or rabies, in India, the SC order also raises immediate practical questions on shelter capacity, funding, veterinary and staffing needs, long-term welfare and adoption plans. The SC bench that gave the order stated that shelters will be created to accommodate 5000 stray dogs, with sufficient human resources to sterilise the dogs, but the number still falls short, as according to data from the Department of Animal Husbandry, Delhi has over 55000 stray dogs, as of November 2023. That means the shelter plan can barely take care of 10% of the dogs in Delhi.

But whose responsibility is it to take care of stray animals? What is the scenario of stray dogs and dog-human conflict in India?

Article 246(3) Of The Indian Constitution

Under Article 246(3) of the Constitution, states oversee the preservation and welfare of animals, including the prevention of diseases. Articles 243(W) and 246 assign stray dog control to local bodies, primarily through the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Programme. According to a government press release in April 2025, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has published the revised Animal Birth Control (ABC) module for Street Dogs Population management, rabies eradication and reducing man-dog conflict.

What Is The Situation Of Stray Dogs In The Country?

India has 15,304,345 stray dogs, as per the Animal Husbandry Department’s report of November 2023. To put things in perspective, they’re about 1% of the human population in the country. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of stray dogs (2,059,261), with Odisha at second place (1,734,399), and Maharashtra takes the third spot (1,276,399). Seven states, including the above three, and Rajasthan, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh, have over one million dogs each. Gujarat, with 9,31,170 dogs, is just shy of the million figure.

Among the top metropolitan cities, Bengaluru takes the top spot, with 136866 lakh dogs in the city, followed by Delhi (55,462), Mumbai (50,799), Chennai (24,827), Kolkata (21,146), and Hyderabad (10,553).

According to the same data, Manipur, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Lakshadweep have zero stray dogs, but that is just what the report says. Mizoram has the least, with 69 dogs, followed by Nagaland with 342 dogs.

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Dog Bite Menace

Dogs biting humans, injuring badly, or even causing death, have been a common affair in India, with news reports often mentioning this. The numbers tell the same story. Between 2022 and 2024, India reported a total of 8,958,143 dog bites. In 2022, 21.8 lakh dog bites were reported, and the number increased steadily, as in 2023, 30.5 lakh dog bites were reported, and in 2024, 37.1 lakh were reported, marking a 45% increase from 2022 to 2024.

Among dog bites, Maharashtra is at the top, with 13.5 lakh dog bites being reported in the 2022-2024 period, Tamil Nadu comes second with 12.8 lakh dog bites, and Gujarat is at the third spot with 8.4 lakh dog bites in the same period. Surprisingly, though UP has the highest number of dogs, it takes the ninth spot in the country with 5.85 lakh dog bites in the same period.

Ladakh, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Andaman & Nicobar have less than 10,000 dog bite cases, with Lakshadweep being the only administrative division (Union Territory) with 0 dog bite cases reported.

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Rabies Deaths

Rabies is a fatal disease that causes hydrophobia and is spread when an infected animal bites or scratches a human. While several animals can be carriers, globally, dogs are the main reason behind humans contracting rabies. According to the American Centres for Disease Control, rabies causes about 59000 deaths globally every year.

In India, according to a government report, in the three year period between 2022-2024, a total of 125 people have succumbed to rabies in the country. Maharashtra tops this list with 35 rabies deaths reported in the 2022-2024 period (7 in 20222, 14 in 2023, and 14 in 2024). Karnataka reported 12 rabies deaths in the same period, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu with 9 deaths each. 9 states and 5 Union Territories reported zero rabies deaths in the same period, with the rest reporting at least one each.

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Supreme Court Directs Removal Of All Stray Dogs From Delhi-NCR Within 8 Weeks