Control the menace at all costs
Since the past several weeks’ people across various districts, especially Srinagar are posting videos on various social media platforms highlighting the increasing number of stray dogs in their areas.
Though the issue is not new but the way the number of dogs in increasing in Urban and rural areas is a matter of grave concern. People in most of the areas complain about the risks involved while moving out of their homes during early morning and evening hours.
Notably, Srinagar’s stray dog population has witnessed a huge surge. Packs of stray dogs are seen roaming in commercial hubs, residential neighborhoods, and iconic landmarks.
The situation is alarming, with frequent dog bite incidents reported across the city. Even the rural areas too are witnessing the same concerns.
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 few months back 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 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 is 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.
Though the administration is claiming that around 50 thousand stray dogs were sterilized and vaccinated between June 2023 and September 2025, the move has brought little relief for the residents.
According to recent data, there are approximately 1.5 lakh stray dogs in urban areas of the UT, with around 64,416 canines reported roaming on the streets of Srinagar alone. This puts J&K at number two in India with 23 stray dogs per 1000 people.
Importantly, a new sterilization facility is being set up to boost animal birth control programs, but much more needs to be done to control the rapid growth in the number of canines.
