Kozhikode MP M.K. Raghavan has demanded that the Union government empower local bodies by bringing in laws that would enable them to take immediate action on issues related to stray dogs, considering public safety.

Presenting the issue of rising instances of stray dog attacks in the country in the Lok Sabha, he pointed out that over 2.5 lakh people were bitten by stray dogs in 2024 alone, and that the public was in panic due to recurring rabies deaths. The number of stray dogs is going up mainly due to ineffective sterilisation drives, unscientific waste management, and legal complications that prevented local bodies from taking immediate action, he said.

Mr. Raghavan pointed out that animal welfare and public safety should be balanced, and that the local bodies were troubled by limited resources.

He suggested that stray dog sterilisation drives and vaccination drives be intensified, and that better waste management facilities be brought in. He also said that special efforts were needed to capture dogs that often evaded capture, so that they could be sterilised.