The stray dog menace is back, and this time, right in the heart of the city on Necklace Road, where three morning walkers were repeatedly attacked by a stray dogs.
The three walkers, including two senior citizens were attacked by the stray around 7 am, when they were walking along the roadside. The dog is said to have pounced on them and bit all the three of them.
Stray dog noticing the attack, local residents and passersby rescued them and shooed away the canine. However, with the dog refusing to back off and repeatedly attacking the walkers, who were shocked by the ferocity of the dog, passersby began trying to beat it away with a stick. The episode ended with the dog dying on the spot, said a senior official from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
The condition of the three persons, who suffered injuries in the incident, was stated to be safe. Veterinary workers caught four dogs from the spot and shifted them to the Amberpet animal care home, the official said.
Officials say this is not a one-off incident in the city. Dog bite cases are being reported regularly from different areas in the city. From children to senior citizens, the victims have been from across all walks of life.
Every day about 40 dog menace complaints are lodged from different areas in the city. There are 17 vehicles in GHMC, which are used for catching stray dogs and each vehicle catches about 15 dogs a day, officials said, adding that all the complaints were attended to and addressed within 48 hours.
A majority of the complaints were from Khairtabad, Tolichowki, Jiyaguda (due to slaughter house in the vicinity), Necklace Road, BS and MS Maktha and other areas.
However, officials claim that the number of cases has come down considerably compared to previous years. In the past, many complaints were lodged and with limited staff and care units, it was tough to control the situation. But since the last couple of years, things were being brought under control, they said.
Every year, nearly one lakh stray dogs are sterilised at these care units to control the dog population in the city. At present, there are five animal care units at Autonagar, Jeedimetla, Amberpet, Chudi Bazaar and Madhapur.
Soon after the sterilization, vaccination and deworming processes are completed, the stray dogs are housed in the animal care units for three to four days. Later, they are released from where they were picked up.
On the other hand, while stray dogs in the city are caught and vaccinated and sterilised, those from the peripheral areas of the city are continuing to migrate into the city’s residential areas.
Due to poor infrastructure and staff crunch, peripheral areas, especially panchayats, are unable to catch and vaccinate the dogs. The Animal Husbandry Department will have to intensify measures for catching dogs and sterilizing them, a GHMC official said. #KhabarLive
