Parag Desai’s death puts focus back on stray dog bite cases in Pune

Breaking all past records, Pune city has reported 16,372 stray dog bite cases in just nine months this year according to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) official data. This, despite the population of stray dogs having declined by 42%. The data assumes significance, coming as it does after the demise of Wagh Bakri Tea Group executive director (ED), Parag Desai, who fell and suffered brain haemorrhage on October 15 while trying to ward off stray dogs outside his residence in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

As per the last stray dog census carried out by the PMC in May 2023, the estimated stray dog population in the city has reduced from 315,000 in 2018 to 179,940 in 2023. While the decline in the stray dog population is around 42.87% in the last five years, the stray dog bite cases have increased significantly. This year, the PMC has reported the highest number of stray dog bite cases in just nine months (16,372). Last year, the PMC had reported 16,569 stray dog bite cases.

Dr Sarika Funde, veterinary superintendent, PMC, said that the stray dog population in Pune city has decreased due to effective implementation of the Animal Birth Control Programme. However, the challenges have increased for the PMC after the merger of 34 new villages, she said.

At the same time, Dr Funde cautioned that not every case reported as a stray dog bite is necessarily a bite; it could even be as minor as a scratch. “Starting from grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3 cases, all cases are considered as dog bite cases. Dog bite cases from the suburbs that come to Naidu Hospital for treatment are reported by the PMC as dog bite cases, and are reflected as dog bites in our records. Due to this, the number of dog bite cases, despite a decline in the stray dog population, remains high,” she said.

Dr Bhagwan Pawar, health officer of the PMC, said that the PMC is conducting immunisation and sterilisation of stray canines even on weekends with an aim to control their population which will eventually result in a decrease in dog bite cases. However, we don’t conduct sterilisation of puppies aged less than six months as per the rules, he said.