Pilibhit civic bodies told to report stray dog numbers

Pilibhit: Pilibhit district administration on Monday directed three municipal councils and six town area committees to submit reports on the stray dog population and their status in urban areas across the district after taking note of a representation submitted by lawyer and social volunteer Shivam Kashyap.Referring to Supreme Court orders passed between Aug and Nov 2025, Kashyap said Supreme Court had directed authorities in Delhi-NCR to capture, sterilise and vaccinate stray dogs before releasing them back into their original locations. He said aggressive or rabid dogs had to be shifted to shelters. Kashyap also informed DM Gyanendra Singh that Supreme Court had reaffirmed under the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, that stray dogs must be sterilised, dewormed and immunised before being released.Data from Autonomous State Medical College (ASMC) showed that around 100 to 120 dog-bite victims visited the hospital daily for anti-rabies treatment. CMO Dr Alok Kumar told TOI, “A total of 5,561 dog-bite victims visited 11 community health centres (CHCs) and 30 primary health centres (PHCs) across the district in April 2026, averaging nearly 185 cases a day. This excludes patients treated at ASMC, private hospitals, or those who seek traditional remedies after dog bites.”.Singh termed the situation serious and said urgent steps were needed. “We will prepare a coordinated plan with urban local bodies and the concerned departments in line with the Supreme Court order,” he said, adding that a separate strategy would also be formulated for rural areas.