No end to stray dog menace? Ameer Pet in Hyderabad back in news as 4-yr-old-boy killed [Caution: Horrific Video]

Ameerpet in Hyderabad, known for IT coaching centres, has also hit headlines several times in the past for stray dog attacks. In a recent shocking video that has gone viral, a four-year-old boy was attacked on a road in daylight by three stray dogs and killed.

Last year, a pack of stray dogs attacked government school children at Dharam Karan Road in Ameer Pet. More than 15 children were bitten and were rushed to Fever Hospital at Nallakunta and Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) at Narayanguda, reports said.

Dr Sajid, a Veterinary doctor at GHMC, Central Zone, told media last year, "We received information from locals about dogs going berserk and immediately reached the spot with dog van. We found only one dog. The affected children were rushed to nearby hospitals as well as Fever Hospital and IPM."

It has been a difficult task to catch these stray dogs as every time a dog van reaches the place, dogs would run away from the spot. In a fit of anger, locals killed a dog recently. Dog bite cases usually rise during summer, say veterinarians. This season, the latest dog bite case, perhaps, triggered the menace rather early.

Stray Dog Menace in India

Irrespective of the increasing stray dog menace, 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. The Supreme Court has now 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.

As judicial pronouncements and NGO activism weghed heavily on urban local bodies, they have shown little inclination to act against the menace of street dogs. No wonder, 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.

It is estimated that 390,000 dogs are euthanised in shelters in the US each year. In Australia, approximately 200,000 dogs are brought to animal shelters every year. About 20 percent of them are euthanised and those dogs that display very aggressive behaviour are eliminated on priority. Similarly, it is estimated that about 20,000 dogs are put down in UK each year.

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. In a recent survey, 61 percent respondents stated that stray dog attacks were common in their area. An overwhelming 90 percent of them felt that authorities had failed to take effective steps.

Most Indian civic bodies are so cash strapped that they are struggling to fund a sterilisation programme of dogs. Neither can the NGOs, who have found it difficult over the years to sustain a sterilisation programme, analysts said.

In the above cited background, it is quite logical that street dogs should be taken to shelters and be given an opportunity to be adopted or put to euthanasia.

Karnataka has announced Rs 5 crore grant for the Animal Welfare Board and for for mobile clinics to treat injured and abandoned animals in Bengaluru.