Let us end the menace
Kashmir approximately reports 6,000 to 6,500 dog bite cases annually, which translates to around 18 cases daily. This number is huge given the small geographical area we are talking about.
Besides, the recent data on dog bites (from April 2024 to March 2025, a total of 12,437 bite cases were reported, with 6,205 being dog bites. In the last six months, 3,799 dog bite cases were recorded at the Anti-Rabies Clinic (ARC) at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar) reflecting that the stray dog menace needs to be tackled immediately.
Notably, the stray dog menace has been one of the key concerns of municipal authorities across India. Various cities and towns where the presence of the stray dogs has increased to unmanageable levels have been reporting increased cases of dog bites and some ceases of rabies as well.
In Jammu and Kashmir also the issue is of significant concern as the region reported 51,027 dog bite cases in 2024, with 4,824 cases recorded in January 2025 alone this year.
Ironically, over the last decade, the total number of dog and cat bites in the Valley has approached 70,000 cases, with a notable upward trend. It is quite surprising to know that the Valley’s lone hospital SMHS which operates an Anti-Rabies Clinic, receives around 50 animal bite cases daily, with most cases attributed to stray dogs.
The situation elsewhere also remains the same and even the Supreme Court decided to put an end to such crisis by announcing a verdict and noting that an “extremely grim” situation has risen due to stray dog bites resulting in rabies, particularly among children in the Delhi-NCR region and directing the authorities to permanently relocate all strays from streets to shelters at the earliest.
The apex court’s decision announced a month back came after several cases of rabies especially among children were reported and the increased number of dogs on the streets and roads was leading to huge inconvenience to the people at large.
The SC’s verdict has come at a time when many states and UT’s like ours are grappling with the dog menace as no full time measure has been either implemented or is available to tackle the crisis.
In a place like Kashmir the huge increase in the number of dogs is a worrying development as all the efforts in adding Jammu and Kashmir into the list of clean and smart cities goes a waste as the increased number of stray dogs keep on scattering the waste around making life miserable for those who prefer to walk on the roads and streets.
The stray dogs across Kashmir are infected with several diseases as well which can prove to be catastrophic any time as it can lead to the outbreak of a major disease any time.
Since the SC has provided a solution to the issue, the administration here without wasting any time should implement the recommendations here as well so that the issue of increased canine presence can be tackled scientifically.
Primarily, the people’s participation in ending the menace is a prerequisite. People living in cities and elsewhere need to stop feeding the stray dogs directly or indirectly so that the canines do not stick around habitations and create a mess around.
The people need to act in close cohesion with the authorities so that the menace is put to an end. Only the governments alone cannot end this huge crisis.
