Stray dog menace grips Medak, over 3,000 dog bites in six months

Over 3,000 dog bite cases have been reported across Sangareddy, Medak, and Siddipet districts in just six months, exposing failures in stray dog control. Surveys were unscientific and funds insufficient for ABC, leaving residents vulnerable and local bodies overwhelmed.

Sangareddy: Recent stray dog attacks on children have laid bare the unchecked surge in the stray dog population across the erstwhile Medak district and the failure of local authorities to contain it.

Panchayats and civic bodies across the region have conducted a survey of the stray dog population to implement the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. According to the survey, Sangareddy district alone had a staggering 62,275 stray dogs, while Siddipet and Medak districts recorded 47,568 and 17,636 respectively. However, many dogs reportedly went uncounted due to the absence of a scientific method in the survey.

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In areas where ABC has been executed properly, officials noted a decline in dog bite cases. For instance, Narayankhed civic authorities performed ABC on 348 of the 380 identified dogs, resulting in a marked drop in bite incidents.

In contrast, Tekmal mandal in Medak district saw 252 people take anti-rabies injections at government hospitals since January, while Chinna Kodur mandal in Siddipet reported 286 dog bites in 2025 alone, a clear indicator of the scale of the issue at the mandal level.

In Ameenpur municipality, 1,800 stray dogs were identified but ABC was performed on only 355. Gram panchayats and municipalities have been paying Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 1,650 per ABC procedure, but most local bodies have struggled to continue the drive due to lack of funds.

In Bejjanki mandal headquarters, 28 people were attacked by stray dogs on a single day recently. Children, women and elderly residents are finding it difficult to move around, fearing attacks from dogs moving in packs. Two-wheeler riders and schoolchildren on bicycles are frequent targets.

The July 18 death of a three-year-old boy, Nithin, in Rupla Thanda of Shivampet mandal in Medak district due to a dog attack has intensified public outrage. The Telangana Human Rights Commission (TGHRC) has since asked the State government to submit a report on dog bite cases, fatalities, vaccination efforts, and ABC measures undertaken.

In the past year, Sangareddy district recorded 1,465 dog bites, while Medak and Siddipet reported 2,215 and 1,120 cases respectively. Since January, the three districts have collectively recorded around 3,000 dog bite cases, according to preliminary estimates.