GHMC yet to follow up on dog bite incidents

Hyderabad: Despite incidents of dog bites, the GHMC authorities have not been able to produce any assessment or studies mapping the more vulnerable areas and an analysis of dog behaviour in such areas.

On Thursday, the GHMC told the Telangana High Court that there were 3,79,156 dogs within its limits of which 3,03,200 had been sterilised. Considering that the human population in the GHMC area is about 80 lakh, it implies that there is one dog per 21 persons in the civic body’s jurisdiction. This raises doubts about the birth control measures taken up by the corporation.

According to the 2022 guidelines of the Animal Welfare Board of India, the standard operating procedure (SOP) in dog bite incidents includes assessment of the area and catching the dog and taking it to an animal care shelter, where it is observed for seven or more days.

The dog’s behaviour is studied by a committee, comprising “a representative of the local authority, a qualified veterinarian approved by the ABC Monitoring Committee, and a representative of an SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) or animal welfare organisation recognized by the AWBI”.

If the dog is found to be a habitual biter, the committee observes the behaviour of the dog until changes are noticed and a thorough bi-monthly check-up is done. This continues until the dog is fit to be released back into the community.

However, as per the GHMC veterinarians, no such facility exists in the state.

"In dog bite cases, we see whether proper treatment is being given to the victim. As regards dogs, we see if they are sterilised. If not, we undertake sterilisation. Only dog samples are sent for rabies check-ups," said Dr D Ranajit, deputy director, veterinary department, LB nagar zone.

Activists and dog welfare organisations point out many factors responsible for dogs attacking humans with one of them being lack of monitoring of garbage disposal by meat shops.

Vasanthi Vadi, founder of People for Animals, empathised with the death of an infant following an attack by dogs last week.

"What happened was terrible. We have sent our people to the area and undertaken an analysis of the situation. Most incidents happen in areas densely populated by humans. There are illegal slaughterhouses with no proper garbage disposal mechanism. Since stray dogs have only garbage as their means to find food, they turn aggressive when they do not find food," she said.

Dr Ranajit told Deccan Chronicle that slum areas were more prone to dog bites as there was no check on garbage in those areas.

In stark contrast, Dr Srinivas Reddy, deputy director, veterinary department, south zone, said that illegal slaughterhouses do not exist in GHMC areas.

“The shops handover garbage to collectors and no waste is thrown in the open for dogs to feed on,” he said.