17 Lakh Stray Dogs in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: There are 17 lakh stray dogs in Odisha, informed Gokulananda Mallick, the Minister of Fisheries and Animal Resources Development in Odisha Assembly on Wednesday. The Minister informed this to the house while answering a question put by Congress MLA Kadraka Apala Swami.

The issue of stray dogs has been raised by Rayagada MLA Kadraka Apala Swamy. He said that from 2023 to 2024, how many men, women and children have been bitten by stray dogs in Odisha?

People in every village in the state, from the streets of the lanes to the offices to the schools and everybody including students and women are afraid of stray dogs. Hence, what steps the government has taken in this respect. How many stray dogs are there in our state, asked the Congress MLA in the Assembly today.

Answering the question the Gokulananda Mallick, the Minister of Fisheries and Animal Resources Development answered in the Assembly that there are 17 lakh stray dogs roaming in various places in the state. More than 5 lakh people have been bitten by dogs in two years. 4 thousand 605 dogs have been sterilized in 8 urban areas of the state.

In the last 10 months, 243,565 people have been bitten by dogs. Similarly, 260,000 people were bitten by dogs last year. This was informed by Minister Gokulanand Malik in a written reply in the Assembly.