Sat Jul 26 12:04:57 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**Dog Bite Crisis Grips Southern India as Rabies Deaths Rise**
**Chennai, July 26, 2025** – Dog bite incidents and rabies deaths continue to surge across southern India, despite ongoing efforts to manage the stray dog population. A recent government report reveals over 3.7 million dog bite cases and 54 suspected rabies deaths in 2024 alone.
The Animal Birth Control (ABC) program, tasked with regulating stray dog numbers, appears to be failing, with data from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, and Kerala showing a growing stray population and limited civic responses.
Tamil Nadu reported a staggering 124,000 dog bite cases and four rabies deaths in the first three months of 2025. Karnataka saw 360,000 dog bite cases and 42 rabies deaths in 2024, with Bangalore Urban reporting thousands more in the first half of 2025.
Hyderabad, Telangana, has witnessed a dramatic doubling of dog bite cases, now reporting over 100 incidents daily. Residents express fear for their children’s safety.
Kerala has seen dog bite cases more than double over the past decade, reaching 316,000 in 2024, with a concerning rise in rabies deaths, even among vaccinated individuals.
The situation is exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure, a shortage of trained veterinarians, and bureaucratic delays in establishing new ABC centers. Experts are calling for a coordinated and comprehensive response to address the escalating crisis.
First Piper 