29 aggressive strays tested for rabies in Ahmedabad, none test positive: AMC

Ahmedabad: Amid concerns and debates over aggressive stray dogs in light of the recent Supreme Court directive, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has said that over 100 such dogs were captured from various areas of the city and housed in shelters during 2025-26. Of these, 29 were tested for rabies using rapid test kits and all results were negative.

The Supreme Court, upholding its last year’s directives on removing strays from public places, two days ago had remarked, “Right to life with dignity encompasses right to live freely without threat of harm from dogs.”

The senior official added that after the Supreme Court order last year, AMC’s cattle nuisance control department (CNCD) has been receiving more complaints about bites. “A dog that has repeatedly bitten people is brought to the shelter for behavioural study and, if necessary, tested for rabies. In the past year, 29 stray dogs were tested for rabies, with none testing positive. There were no rabies-related deaths in Ahmedabad in the past five years,” the official said.

The municipal corporation labels a dog aggressive after several checks, interactions with the victim and other people in the area, proof of dog bite injury and anti-rabies vaccine after an alleged bite. Captured dogs are kept in a shelter for a fortnight and their behaviour observed. If deemed non-aggressive, they are released back into their area. Currently, there are 84 aggressive dogs housed in two shelters managed by AMC.

According to AMC data, 8,354 dog bite cases were reported in the first three months of 2026. The city recorded 51,244 dog bites in 2020, 50,668 in 2021, 58,125 in 2022, 67,790 in 2023, 60,663 in 2024 and 77,019 in 2025.

AMC is working on controlling the stray dog population through the ABC programme. Over the past seven years, it has spent Rs 18.8 crore on sterilizing 1,96,000 stray dogs, achieving more than 80% sterilization. A dog census has been initiated under the Zero by 30 initiative to make Ahmedabad rabies-free by 2030. A 2019 survey recorded 210,000 stray dogs in the city. Microchips are being implanted in sterilized dogs, with 5,071 dogs currently chipped, facilitating easier annual revaccination.