As the Supreme Court has walked back on its order directing the Delhi government to make streets free of stray dogs, toning it down to allow their release back into the same areas after sterilisation and immunisation, Andhra Pradesh offers a glimpse into how serious the stray dog menace is.
The escalating stray dog menace across Andhra Pradesh has plunged residents into fear, with rising dog bite cases and sporadic rabies deaths fueling public outcry.
From Tirupati to Nellore, Kurnool, Kadapa, and Anantapur, the crisis has prompted varied responses from municipal bodies, though funding shortages and enforcement gaps persist.
In Tirupati, the Municipal Corporation has sterilised 12,630 of 13,736 stray dogs, with 1,106 pending by September 2025, following Supreme Court guidelines.
Veterinary Doctor Nagendar Reddy stressed that Animal Birth Control (ABC) and anti-rabies vaccination are the only long-term solutions, though re- locating sterilised dogs to original areas has failed to curb panic among women and children, as noted by resident P Sathish.
Funding woes, with ABC costs at Rs 1,500 (below the central `1,650 rate), deter NGOs, exacerbating the issue. Nellore residents face nightly terror, with aggressive dog packs roaming colonies like Sivagiri and Gandhi Nagar.
A 200-day mass sterilization campaign, announced by MAUD Minister Ponguru Narayana in April 2025, targets 1,000 dogs daily statewide, yet over 1,000 monthly bites strain government hospitals, with 500 more in private facilities.
In Kurnool, 13,518 bites were recorded from January to July 2025, including a fatal mauling ofafour-year-old in July, while Kadapa reported 14,376 cases in two-and-a-half years, with two rabies deaths.
Anantapur and Sri Sathya Sai districts logged 2,866 and 3,107 bites, respectively, predominantly from street dogs, with robust ARV/ARS stocks ensuring no shortages.
Kurnool hospitals admit 5-10 victims daily, while Kadapa’s Badvel incident injured 27 in a day. Improper waste disposal, as highlighted by Dr P Raju Teegal in Sri Sathya Sai, attracts strays, prompting awareness drives and sterilization efforts.
Kadapa abandoned nomadic dog-catchers, while Kurnool faces activist resistance. Advocate Satri Chandrasekhar urged against culling, stressing ecological balance. Veterinary experts warned unchecked breeding could add 5–6 lakh dogs annually without ABC. Residents across districts demand urgent action as stray attacks threaten to worsen with the coming breeding season.
In the erstwhile East Godavari district, which includes Kakinada, Rajamahendravaram, Amalapuram, and Rampachodavaram, 86,000 Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV) vials were utilised from April 2024 to March 2025, reflecting 5,000+ cases annually at Kakinada Government General Hospital (GGH) alone, alongside 6-8 rabies deaths yearly.
Recent incidents underscore the crisis: on July 6, a stray dog attacked 18 people in Pallam village, Katrenikona mandal; five were bitten in Sirivada village, Peddapuram mandal, on February 3; 10 commuters were targeted in Jaggampeta on July 9, 2024; and two children, aged 11 and 8, were bitten in Padmanagar, Jagannaickpur, on July 3, 2024. Nighttime bike commuters face additional risks, with some crashing into road dividers while fleeing aggressive strays.
Across East Godavari, West Godavari, and Eluru, the situation remains dire. East Goda- vari reported 4,003 dog bite cases in 2024 and 1,987 in 2025 so far, with two deaths in the past three years—one in Seethanagaram and one in Rajamahendravaram, including a four-year-old mauled in January 2025.
West Godavari logged 24,121 dog bites and 7,471 pet dog bites in 2024, with 9,576 and 7,116 respectively in 2025, while Eluru recorded 9,570 cases in 2024 and 4,027 in 2025. No deaths were reported in West Godavari or Eluru, but the rising numbers have alarmed residents. Kakinada GGH saw 7 deaths in 2021, 6 in 2022, 2 in 2023, and 4 in 2024, pushing locals to demand stricter controls.
The stray dog population, estimated at 2.5 lakh in East Godavari (with 80,000 pet dogs), has grown unchecked since 2022 due to stalled Animal Birth Control (ABC) operations, hampered by funding shortages and technical issues.
Each ARV vial now costs Rs 420, with two required per bite, totaling `3.61 crore for 86,000 vials last year. ABC surgeries, previously `500 per dog, now range from Rs 1,300-1,500, requiring `32.50 crore to cover all strays in East Godavari.
Veterinary experts warned unchecked breeding could add 5–6 lakh dogs annually unless effective ABC is enforced. Joint Director K Venkata Rao initi- ated ABC tenders at Rs 1,300– 1,500 per surgery, with centres in Rajamahendravaram, Kovvur, Nidadavole, Bhimavaram, and Eluru. Officials, including West Godavari DMHO Dr Geethabhai and Eluru’s Dr PJ Amrutam, ensured ARV supply. Despite these measures,the public demands faster action against stray dog attacks.
North Andhra
North Andhra districts are witnessing an alarming rise in dog bite cases and rabies-related deaths, with official data highlighting significant gaps in stray dog management and sterilisation measures.
According to Health Department records, 11,799 dog bite cases and four human rabies deaths were reported in Visakhapatnam district between 2024 and July 31, 2025. In Vizianagaram district, 7,545 dog bite cases and six rabies deaths have been recorded up to August 19 this year, while Srikakulam district reported a staggering 57,229 dog bite cases over 16 months, from April 2024 to July 2025.
In response to the rising incidents, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has launched an anti-rabies vaccination and sterilization drive covering all 98 municipal wards. City Veterinary Officer Dr N Kishore said that the corporation aims to vaccinate 1.36 lakh stray dogs every six months, with 100 dogs being vaccinated daily.
“Till now, around 1.10 lakh dogs have been vaccinated. We are also sterilising approximately 100 stray dogs daily to control the population,” Dr. Kishore said, adding that dogs that undergo sterilization are marked with a notch on the left ear for easy identification. GVMC is using the Rab-Puri anti-rabies vaccine and has ensured adequate stock.
Four vaccination centres at Arilova, Kapuluppada, Anakapalli, and
Narava are functional, and vaccines are available at all Primary Health Centres (PHCs). Parents have been advised to monitor children under six years and elderly individuals, as they are more vulnerable to attacks.
In Vizianagaram, data reveals a steady rise in dog bite incidents over the past four years including 12,767 cases and four rabies deaths in 2024; 10,662 cases and one death in 2023; 9,321 cases and one death in 2022; and 8,903 cases in 2021.
Vizianagaram District Medical and Health Officer Dr Jeevana Rani said that while vaccines are available in all 48 PHCs, the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme is progressing slowly, primarily due to lack of resources and dedicated sterilisation teams. “We are appealing to veterinary authorities to accelerate sterilisation efforts,” she added.
Joint Director of Animal Husbandry Dr. YV Ramana acknowledged that the department currently administers vaccines to pet dogs during annual campaigns, with limited vaccination for stray dogs due to shortages. “We lack specialised sterilisation teams in the district. One ABC team is assigned at the state level, but it has not yet reached Vizianagaram,” he said.
Srikakulam district has reported 57,229 dog bite cases from April 2024 to July 2025, with children under 15 years forming more than 50 percent of the victims. In one tragic incident in April 2023, a one-year-old child was killed by stray dogs at Mettavalasa village, underscoring the severity of the issue.
Srikakulam District DMHO Dr K Anitha confirmed that anti-rabies vaccines are available in all government hospitals. “We supplied over 91,000 vaccine doses since January 2023,” said APMSIDC executive engineer M. Satya Prabhakar.
Officials cited slow implementation of ABC measures as the key challenge. Srikakulam Municipal Corporation health officer Dr. Sudheer said, “We are planning to accelerate sterilization in urban areas, but the absence of dog shelters for post-operative care continues to delay the process.”
The recurring pattern across the three districts including rising dog bites, insufficient sterilization, and logistical challenges, underscores an urgent need for coordinated action. While vaccination efforts for humans remain strong, veterinary infrastructure and sterilisation programs require immediate attention to address the root cause of the stray dog menace in North Andhra.
(With inputs from D Surendra Kumar, Kurumangalam, S Nagaraja rao, CP Venugopal, K Madhu Sudhakar, S Trimurthulu, KV Sailendra, Dharmendra Regana, Sreenu Babu Pattivada and Chowdary Lakshmana Rao.)
