Animal bites rise in Ahmedabad; cat attacks jump by 156%

Ahmedabad: Citizens are fighting an animal bites menace as the number of cases have seen a sizable rise from last year. According to data from Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), a comparison between the first quarters of 2025 and 2026 shows a 20.8% rise in dog bites, an alarming 44.7% increase in monkey bites and a massive 155.7% rise in cat bites.Cases of dog bites rose from 7,453 in Jan 2025 to 8,354 in Jan this year. Feb last year recorded 6,278 cases; the number was 7,753 in Feb 2026. The number of cases increased from 6,384 in March 2025 to 8,186 in March this year. The overall dog bite figures: 20,115 from Jan-March 2025 and 24,293 during the same period this year.Monkey bite cases went up from 159 to 230 and bites from cats increased from 655 to 1,675 during the comparison period. Sources in the civic body stated that cases of dog bites have risen since 2020 as new areas were added to the limits, like Bopal, Ghuma, Kathwada and Nana Chiloda. From about 50,000 during the entire 2020, dog bite cases went up to over 77,000 in 2025. Cat bites increased from 663 in 2020 to 4,770 in 2025, and monkey bites rose from 229 in 2020 to 673 in 2025.Naturalist Haseeb Shaikh said that a cat's behaviour is often misread. "Unlike a dog, a cat rubbing itself against a person is to transfer its fur rather than a sign of affection," he said. Anyone trying to pet a cat doing this is met with a hiss, or a scratch or a bite. Shaikh said monkeys too can get triggered easily, adding that bites occur when a person miscalculates the animal in a monkey by pestering it or dangling food, which "raises its temper".In July 2024, monkey bite incidents occurred in five societies in the Vastral area, with attacks on children and women captured on CCTV and circulated on social media. In 2025, such cases were reported in the Paldi area, and in 2026, in Naranpura. Awareness drives to discourage people from feeding monkeys are being held, AMC officials said, adding that this attracts monkeys closer to human habitats. An official added that aggressive monkeys may attack if not fed.Mahesh Patel, founder of Rescue Foundation Gujarat, an NGO in the city, said that cat bites have increased because cats can enter action mode "in milli-seconds". On monkeys, he said primates also attack during their maring period or territorial fights. "Conflict is often triggered by feeding. If a monkey habituated to receiving biscuits or potatoes is denied food, it enters aggression mode," he said.