Bengaluru: Animal welfare activists may be debating over controlling the street dog population in the city, but the menace is a reality for the residents of Avalappa Layout in Murugesh Palya.
“There are over 30 dogs here and they move around in packs. They attack people passing through the area in the night. These dogs chew off the seats of parked two-wheelers too, like it happened to my friend’s scooter,” complained Ms Asha Thomas, a resident.
“My friend had parked his scooter outside my house on the 5th Cross. When we came out, we found the seat completely torn. We could not do anything as around 12 dogs were near the scooter, growling at us,” she said.
“Moving about in the area at night is a big risk. I travel a lot and sometimes I come home late in the night and these dogs make it impossible for me to get out of the cab. Once, I got home around 1 am and these dogs just wouldn’t let me get out of the car. I had a lot of luggage and I had to sit inside the cab for about half-an-hour. It was horrible. Nobody was on the road and when the driver tried to help, the dogs tried to attack him and we escaped narrowly,” she said.
The strays also create a lot of nuisance at night, said Mr Naveen A., another resident. “During the day we can chase them away, but what do we do when they start howling at 4 in the morning? They are a terrible nuisance at night, and we barely get any sleep,” he said. The IT professional said that because of these violent dogs, the residents can neither go for their morning walks nor walk their dogs. “Jogging is just impossible on the streets. I have a pomeranian pup and walking her is a nightmare! They just won’t let the puppy pass. It is so bad, now I just let our pup walk on our house terrace,” he said.
Street dogs pose a threat to human health as they carry germs and skin diseases, said Mr Rajan R., who runs a grocery store in the area. “These dogs attack people, especially those travelling on two-wheelers. God forbid if someone gets rabies! They just breed on and on, and we don’t see anything being done,” he complained.
Culling of dogs is illegal, so BBMP won’t do it: Manjunath
DC reached out to area corporator Manjunath about the issue.
Excerpts.
Have you received any complaints from local residents about the street dog menace in your area?
Yes. Many people have complained and keep complaining about the menace.
What have you done about it?
I have called various NGOs working with street dogs. They keep telling me that they will come, but never turn up.
What can you do about this situation?
In fact, I am quite helpless! Culling of dogs is against the law, so the BBMP won’t do it. What do I do? Sterilising seems to be the only legitimate option available to the BBMP. But these dogs are so smart that they run away when the BBMP vans arrive to catch them. They are back once the vans leave the area.
What do you think the government can do about the menace?
There is no way we can get rid of these stray dogs. The Supreme Court has ruled that culling of stray dogs is illegal. If you walk on the streets after 10 pm, these dogs chase you. Bikers, cyclists and even car drivers have complained about these dogs chasing their vehicles.
