Mumbai emerges as dog bite hotspot with over 1.28 lakh cases in 2024

A sharp rise in dog bite incidents across Maharashtra, particularly in its urban centres, has triggered fresh concerns over public safety, with Mumbai emerging as one of the biggest hotspots in the country.

According to data shared by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the state legislative council, more than 1.28 lakh people were bitten by stray dogs in Mumbai alone in 2024 , underscoring the scale of the problem in India’s financial capital, which has a population of around 1.25 crore . The figures mean that, on average, over 350 people were bitten every day in Mumbai last year.

The issue is not limited to Mumbai and extends beyond a single city. Shinde informed legislators that 9,427 dog bite cases were reported within the Nagpur Municipal Corporation limits in 2024 alone, underscoring how even one urban centre can emerge as a major hotspot. Lawmakers cautioned that these figures reflect the situation in just individual cities not the entire state while raising concerns over the growing presence of free-roaming dogs in both Mumbai and Nagpur.

Statewide, the situation is even more alarming. Maharashtra, with a population of approximately 12.5 crore , has recorded over 30 lakh dog bite cases in the past six years , translating to around 2.4 per cent of the state’s population being affected during this period or an average of about 0.4 per cent annually . This amounts to nearly 1,369 incidents every day across the state. Officials have acknowledged that both urban and rural areas have witnessed a significant rise in such cases.

While Mumbai reported the highest number of incidents, a survey conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) through Humane Society International found that the estimated stray dog population marginally declined from 95,172 in 2014 to 90,757 in 2024 , in line with Animal Welfare Board of India guidelines. Despite this reduction, the number of human victims continues to remain high, pointing to challenges in managing human-dog conflict in densely populated areas.

To address the issue, civic bodies have intensified sterilisation and vaccination programmes , along with rabies eradication drives . Authorities are also searching for land parcels to establish shelters for aggressive and rabid dogs , and an independent grievance redressal portal has been launched to address citizens’ complaints. The renewed push comes amid wider national attention on the issue, following a Supreme Court verdict in the Delhi-NCR dog bite case , in which the apex court ordered mass containment and strict regulation of free-roaming dogs in high-risk areas to safeguard public safety.

The public health implications are serious. Between 2021 and 2023, at least 30 people died of rabies in Maharashtra , according to official data, highlighting the deadly risks associated with uncontrolled dog populations.

With dog bite incidents rising across cities, towns and rural pockets of Maharashtra , and lakhs of citizens affected every year, experts and lawmakers are calling for coordinated, sustained statewide interventions to curb attacks and strengthen public safety.