DHARMAPURI: Local residents have urged the Palacode town panchayat to take steps to curb the stray dog menace after the video of a boy being attacked by stray dogs in Palacode sparked outrage.
On Saturday, a video circulated on social media, showing a boy aged about six, being surrounded and attacked by two stray dogs. Following this, nearby residents rushed to the boy's rescue.
The boy did not sustain any injuries, but the video has sparked outrage and residents are urging the Palacode town panchayat to take steps to curb stray dog menace, which has increased in the past two years.
Speaking to TNIE, C Arumugam, a resident of Palacode, said, "The incident occurred in Maithinagar village on Wednesday near Palacode. Only by mere luck did the boy escape with minor scratches. He was later treated at the Palacode GH.
As it is summer, stray dogs are becoming increasingly aggressive, and the most affected are the elderly and children, who are unable to identify the threat. For the past two years, there have been no Animal Birth Control (ABC) initiatives and till this day, we have no facilities which will prevent the rising dog population. The town panchayat has been extremely negligent."
When TNIE reached out to doctors in Palacode Government Hospital, they said, "We get about one or two cases of dog bites on a daily basis. In the past five months, we have tended to at least 200 dog bites cases. We have sufficient stock of vaccines and there is no cause for concern."
Officials in the Palacode town panchayat were not available for comment.