The Population Of Stray Dogs Increased Dramatically In Mumbai

The number of dogs in the city has definitely gone up, with the BMC evaluating their current count to be around 2,95,000.

For all those chased by packs of hungry street dogs late in the night or encouraged from their night-time slumber by canine hooks or those who are unable to fall asleep because of the sustained howling of neighborhood strays, there is news.

The BMC carries out sterilization to curb the population of strays. But this process has not proven useful, as the number of street dogs has risen in the last eight years. The last dog count was conducted in 2014, in which the number of strays was 95,174. The next canine count will be executed in January 2023.

Usually, the BMC conducts a dog census once in five years, but Covid-19 put paid to this plan, pushing it to January 2023. Dr. K A Pathan, General Manager, Deonar Abattoir, illustrated, “Dogs can give birth to 4-5 puppies at a time. But that does not mean no steps are being taken to control their numbers.

We have carried out multiple sterilizations of stray dogs, but for which their current number would be as high as 10 lakh to 15 lakh. “Sterilisation is not the only method to curb dog nuisance. We also administer anti-rabies vaccination to them.

We must understand that we can’t fully stop dogs from a locality, but we need to keep their population in check so that human beings and dogs can co-exist.” The civic health department, the Deonar abattoir, private institutes, and the dog control cell sterilize dogs. In the last two years, 33,166 dogs have been sterilized.

Dogs do not bite humans without reason; officials point out. The biting could occur because of the dog’s feelings of insecurity or hunger or being teased, or it could just be a way to defend their territory. The BMC receives several complaints from people bitten by strays. In the last four years, dog bites were three lakh complaints.