Recently, a 37-year-old resident of Kandivli lost his life to rabies, highlighting the escalating issue of dog-related incidents in Mumbai. As per BMC data, this is the first rabies-related death since 2018. Additionally, dog bite cases have surged by 28 per cent in 2022. In the previous year, on average, nine people were victims of dog bites every hour. However, between January and April 2023, the alarming average surged to 10 people being bitten by dogs every hour.

While dogs are known to be loyal pets, street canines seem to be targeting people more frequently, surpassing pre-COVID levels of incidents. According to BMC Health Department data, the city reported 74,279 dog bite cases in 2019. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, the cases decreased to 53,020.