BBMP raises alarm over rabies risk from unvaccinated stray dogs in Bengaluru

The BBMP Animal Husbandry Department has voiced serious concern over a growing threat of rabies outbreaks in Bengaluru, particularly due to the influx of unvaccinated stray dogs from neighbouring gram panchayat areas. With over 70,000 strays estimated in the urban outskirts beyond BBMP limits, officials warn that the current lack of coordinated vaccination and sterilization efforts in these zones poses a grave risk to the city’s public health.

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While BBMP claims to have achieved over 80% success in Animal Birth Control (ABC) and anti-rabies vaccination in core zones like East, West, South, Dasarahalli, and Yelahanka, the situation remains unmanaged in Mahadevapura, Bommanahalli, and RR Nagar. These areas not only suffer from low vaccination coverage but also see a regular influx of stray dogs from adjoining rural panchayat areas due to their scavenging nature, increasing the risk of cross-border disease transmission.

Veterinary experts fear that even a single rabies-positive case among strays could trigger the need for emergency ring vaccination of 100 or more dogs in the surrounding area, a massive logistical and financial challenge, especially since BBMP’s budget only covers its administrative limits.

The underlying issue stems from poor coordination between BBMP and gram panchayats, with several local bodies admitting that ABC and vaccination drives have either stalled or not started at all. In Bidaraguppe near Bommanahalli, officials say only 50% of sterilization work is done, and vaccination status remains unknown. In Mandur, under Mahadevapura, plans for these programmes haven’t even been finalized, despite the national goal to eliminate rabies by 2030.