Two-year-old mauled to death by stray dogs in Hyderabad; residents allege official apathy

The death outraged the residents. The toddler’s grandfather Mirza Baig told the media that similar incidents had happened in the recent past. “Earlier also, dogs have bitten kids as well as adults. The dogs come out and stay on the streets all night and early morning. By the time GHMC dogcatchers come here, around 11am, they disappear,” he said.

Echoing similar views, other residents said the stray dog menace in the locality was not being addressed effectively. One of them said that packs of dogs find a haven in the nearby military-controlled open areas and come out on the streets only at night. “We have complained to the GHMC as well as the area corporator and requested them to have the civic and the military authorities sit together and find a solution,” he added.

Over 200 dogs sterilised daily: corporation

The municipal corporation, however, has dismissed the allegations. Chief veterinary officer Abdul Vakil said the corporation’s dogcatchers had caught 17 dogs from the locality after the incident and found 15 of them to be sterilised. As per the animal birth control rules, the corporation has been sterilising more than 200 dogs daily at its five centres in collaboration with animal welfare organisations.

“In Golconda, there are not more than 40 dogs and we have achieved 90 per cent sterilisation. We have to release them in the same locality and they cannot be aggressive after the removal of reproductive organs. If you look at the entire GHMC, we have about 4,61,000 stray dogs and 70 per cent of them are sterilised,” the officer told indianexpress.com, adding that 30 dog-catcher units addressed citizens’ complaints daily.

Over 400 dog bite cases every day in summer

Dr C Sivaleela, director of the state-run Institute of Preventive Medicine, said that dog bite cases usually rose in summer. On an average, about 200 dog bite cases from in and around Hyderabad and from other nearby districts are reported at the institute’s anti-rabies vaccination clinic, and during summers, these numbers surge to 450 cases a day, she said. Temperatures in Hyderabad have been hovering around 40 degrees Celsius in the past few days.

Dr Vakil said the number of dog bite cases reported from the corporation had been on a decline. “During summers, stray dogs find it difficult to find water. Even the leftover food on the streets would be too dry to eat. Moreover, most of the strays have skin infections and the irritation aggravates due to the rising heat.”

Dr Sivaleela said that if bitten by a dog, one should immediately wash the wound with an antiseptic solution in running water. “This will damage the outer layer of the virus, if it is a rabies-infected dog, and inactivate the virus. Otherwise, once infected the chances of one’s survival is very less,” she added.