Pune: Pune district has recorded 77,286 dog-bite cases and 14 rabies deaths between January and September 2026, the highest figures in Maharashtra, Inshorts reported on Friday, October 23. Rabies fatalities in the district rose from 10 in 2025 to 14 this year, while statewide rabies deaths climbed to 59, against 33 in the same period last year.
Source: Inshorts
The district figures cover the wider Pune district. Within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) city limits alone, the corporation's veterinary department recorded 24,803 dog-bite cases between January and July 2026, according to data accessed by the Free Press Journal. July was the worst month with 4,887 cases and May the lowest with 2,657, showing the problem persisted every month rather than in a single season.
Source: Free Press Journal via NewsPoint
City tally already past 70% of last year's total
A PMC official told the Free Press Journal that the January–July city figure of 24,803 is already more than 70% of the 30,613 cases reported in the whole of 2025, and that at the current monthly pace the annual total could cross last year's by a considerable margin. The corporation also noted that even minor scratches and nips are recorded as dog-bite cases when victims seek medical attention, which pushes up the official tally, and the PMC has cited referral patients arriving from other districts as a factor inflating Pune's treatment figures, Inshorts reported.
Source: Free Press Journal via NewsPoint
The PMC has estimated the stray dog population within its limits at around 80,000 and has planned a fresh census to identify high-concentration areas, along with around 100 identified feeding points. The civic body has allocated Rs 37 crore — yaani Rs 370 million — in its 2026-27 budget for sterilisation, vaccination, shelters and dog-catching operations, and runs three shelters at Baner, Mundhwa and Naidu Pond, with three more under construction and five dog-catching vans, one for each administrative zone.
Source: Free Press Journal via NewsPoint
Dr Sarika Funde, the PMC's in-charge chief veterinary officer, told the Free Press Journal that anti-rabies vaccine is provided free of cost at municipal hospitals and that the corporation bears the treatment cost of dog-bite victims, including operations where required. A microchipping initiative is also under way to record each dog's vaccination and history so animals involved in attacks can be traced.
Source: Free Press Journal via NewsPoint
What is solid
- Pune district recorded 77,286 dog-bite cases and 14 rabies deaths in January–September 2026, the highest in Maharashtra, and statewide rabies deaths rose to 59 from 33 in the same period last year (Inshorts).
- PMC veterinary department data show 24,803 bite cases within city limits in January–July 2026, already over 70% of the 30,613 cases recorded in all of 2025; July peaked at 4,887 cases (Free Press Journal).
- The PMC has allocated Rs 37 crore in 2026-27 for sterilisation, vaccination, shelters and dog-catching, estimates about 80,000 strays within city limits, and provides free anti-rabies vaccine and treatment at municipal hospitals (Free Press Journal).
What is only claimed
- How much of Pune's high tally reflects referral patients from other districts and the recording of minor scratches as bite cases — factors the PMC cites — versus a larger stray population, is not settled by the published figures.
- The district-wide figure (77,286) and the city-limits figure (24,803) cover different geographies and periods, so they are not directly comparable.
Veterinary experts quoted by the Free Press Journal said sterilisation and vaccination cannot be treated as a one-time exercise, and that dogs involved in repeated attacks need to be identified, medically assessed and tracked area-wise. Awaaz Punjab will update this story as the PMC's planned stray census and shelter expansion progress.