dog bites: Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Dec 4: A staggering total of 5.20 lakh dog bite cases were reported in Odisha between January 2023 and October 2024, as revealed by Fisheries and Animal Resources Minister Gokula Nanda Mallik during an Assembly session on Wednesday. This alarming figure translates to an average of 777 dog attacks per day.
Responding to a question from Congress MLA Kadraka Appala Swamy of Rayagada, Mallik stated that there were 5,20,237 reported cases of dog bites over the past 22 months. Specifically, 2,59,107 dog bite incidents were recorded in 2023, while 2,43,565 cases occurred from January to October 2024, highlighting the ongoing issue. Notably, the highest number of incidents were reported in the early months of 2024, with January seeing 33,547 cases, February 32,561, and March 29,801.
According to the 2019 Livestock Census, Odisha ranks second in the country for the highest population of stray dogs, estimated at 17.34 lakh. The minister noted that efforts to tackle this problem include the sterilization of approximately 4,605 stray dogs in eight urban areas under the Animal Birth Control program during the 2022-23 period. The state government is also working towards a goal of making Odisha rabies-free by 2030. In comparison, there were 64,642 dog bite cases in 2022 and 59,085 in 2021.
