MADURAI: Over 14,000 people were bit by stray dogs in Madurai city in 2024, a drastic leap from the 13,000 cases recorded the year before, according to the corporation stats. With stray dog menace plaguing the city, the corporation council had sanctioned Rs 5.83 lakh for deputing a private agency to conduct a stray dog census in December, which is yet to commence. Furthermore, activists allege that official reports from 2022, which cite the number of strays at 53,000 are not accurate, and that the figure crossed 1 lakh years ago.
“It is becoming hard to commute in the streets, especially at night. Almost all the streets have packs of stray dogs causing menace in the city. Corporation should take measures to address the issues,” said Karthik, a resident from Villapuram.
