Panic gripped Bihar's Muzaffarpur district after 150 cases of dog bites were reported in the past 24 hours, sources said here on Tuesday.
On Monday, while 100 victims went to Sadar hospital to take anti-rabies vaccines, Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) received 50 patients.
A long queue was witnessed in both the hospitals.
The victims claimed that stepping out from their houses has become very risky as the dogs attack in packs. Majority of the victims are women and children. Some people carry batons to save themselves.
According to an official of the district civil surgeon office, 4,000 doses of anti- rabies vaccines have been used in the last 13 days. He said that even those with no bites are also turning to the hospitals to take anti-rabies vaccine in advance.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Muzaffarpur has hired a team of experts to capture stray dogs in the district.
Stray dogs menace in India
In a recent survey, 61 percent respondents stated that stray dog attacks were common in their area, while an overwhelming 90 percent of them felt that authorities had failed to take effective steps.
While cruelty to animals cannot be pardoned, Indian cities have been reporting an alarming increase in stray dog menace, making life perilous and difficult for people, especially children and the old.
An estimated 80 million homeless cats and dogs in India are living in shelters or on the streets, according to the State of Pet Homelessness Index report. PETA or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an NGO, demands sterilising female dog as the immediate solution.
"Sterilising one female dog can prevent 67,000 births in six years, and sterilising one female cat can prevent 4,20,000 births in seven years," says PETA on its website. Sterilised animals also lead longer, healthier lives and, in the case of males, are less likely to roam, fight, or bite.
In November 2022, three Nagpur women moved to the Supreme Court challenging the October 2022 verdict of the Bombay High Court that prohibited the feeding of stray dogs and stipulated that people interested in feeding strays must first formally adopt them.
However, the Supreme Court had stayed the order of the High Court and ordered the municipal authorities to demarcate appropriate locations where the general public could feed the stray dogs.
Indian cities are now home to one of the largest street dog populations on earth, standing at 62 million as per a recent report, and the largest number of rabies deaths in the world.
A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) said rabies in India in 2021 constituted dog bites by 99 percent, accounting for 36 percent of world's rabies deaths. The annual figure of rabies deaths in India, based on WHO figures would be 21,240.
(With inputs from agencies)
