Bangalore: Dogs bit 24,000 last year

DHNS

• But BBMP says number of cases has shown significant decline

Bangalore, 20 May 2011: More than 24,000 persons in the City were bitten by dogs last year, and two died. Fourteen thousand of the bites were inflicted by stray dogs, according to Dr Parviz Ahmed Piran, Joint Director, Animal Husbandry, BBMP.

 

In the first four months of the current year, at least 8,000 dog bite cases have surfaced which include 45 per cent of the people bitten by pet dogs.

 

The number of dog bites could be much higher since it pertains to only cases reported from government and corporation-run hospitals, and excludes many private hospitals, according to sources, who said many dog-bite cases go unreported.

 

Despite BBMP pumping crores of rupees to check the stray dog menace, the stray canine problem is growing in the City. In the last 10 years, Palike spent Rs 15 crore to bring down stray dog population and the result is that the stray dog population shot up from 1.84 lakh in 2007 to about three lakh by the end of 2010. Last year, the Palike mandated eight NGOs from different parts of the country to curb the stray dog menace, and spent Rs 3.42 crore for the purpose.

 

Piran said, "The problem is that twice a year female dogs give birth to six to eight pups." According to him, the canine population would have gone up if the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme did not exist.

 

"We have sterilised 69,141 dogs so far and 1.16 lakh dogs have been given anti-rabies vaccine," he said.

 

The figures of 24,000 dog bite cases last year may cause alarm, but the number is showing significant decline, said Piran, quoting figures to support his contention.

 

"In 2004-05, in the old Bangalore Mahanagara Palike area which was spread over 225 sq km, as many as 32,967 dog bite cases were registered, whereas in 2010, when the municipal area expanded to 800-odd sq km the figure is about 9,000 less at 24,000,” he argued.

 

Latest victim

 

A 15-year-old boy was attacked by a pack of four stray dogs at Koramangala on Wednesday evening. Srinivas, son of Rani, a maid, was returning to his Koramangala 8th Block residence from his grandmother’s place when he was attacked by four stray dogs. The dogs caught his leg and injured him badly. The boy was rushed to a private hospital.

 

The most painful part of the incident is that the boy was supposed to take five vaccines but due to financial constraints he could take only two. He is the only son among the two children of his parents.

 

When Deccan Herald brought this matter to the knowledge of Parviz Ahmed Piran, he immediately rushed doctors to treat him and they gave him the remaining three vaccines. All the dogs which attacked the boy were rounded up and have been kept under observation to verify whether any of them were rabid.