Hyderabad: The dog that reportedly bit 16 people in a 1-km radius in Balanagar on Thursday has been caught and admitted in the animal care shelter in Kukatpally.
“When I went for inspection, around 10 people came forward as victims of the dog bite,” said Dr K. Nagarjuna, veterinary officer, Kukatpally, GHMC.
The victims included three children under the age of five, three under 10 and a 13-year-old. The others were adults. “They were all taken to the fever hospital to get vaccinations,” he said.
“The dog will be put under observation for 10-15 days and if the biting persists, the observation period will be extended to one month,” the veterinary officer said.
As per the guidelines of the Animal Welfare Board of India, the municipal body must neuter at least 70 per cent of the dog population in the area every year. The sterilisation efforts are nullified if the municipal body does not cover 70 per cent of the dog population.
“Dogs have an inbuilt birth control mechanism where the alpha dog kills half the dogs of the litter,” said former honorary animal welfare officer Vijay Kishore Palika.
The GHMC has repeatedly pointed out thickly human-populated areas with illegal garbage disposal systems as reasons for increased incidents of dog bites.
However, Palika argued that these reasons were insignificant as slums were the first to adopt stray dogs.
“How the community takes care of its dogs shapes their behaviour. As dogs identify with their caretakers, designated feeders with ID cards must be appointed in respective areas. People must be
encouraged to take care of dogs in their communities and develop healthy relationships with them instead of gating them out,” Palika said.
