COIMBATORE: Nine persons were bitted by a stray dog at Mettupalayam in Coimbatore on Thursday. The dog was roaming around Kattoor Mani Nagar and suddenly started chasing people walking and riding two-wheelers on Thursday evening.
Later, a veterinarian confirmed that the dog was affected by rabies, which led to it biting people. Following the stray dog attack, the locals were asked to be cautious of the dog.
On Friday morning, Mettupalayam municipality sent a vehicle to catch the dog and sent it to a rescue centre on Friday noon. The injured were taken to Mettupalayam Government Hospital and vaccinated with anti-rabies preventive medicine. The seven persons suffered injuries to their legs and hands.
Social activist P Sukumaran from Mettupalayam said, “The municipality should take preventive measures by carrying out Anti-Birth Control (ABC) periodically to control dog population. But, there is lag on the municipality’s part to carry out the process.
Only if people report stray dog menace in their concerned area, the municipality reacts upon it. The municipality should allocate funds to control stray dogs.”
When contacted, Municipal Commissioner Mettupalayam R Amudha said, “The dog has been caught and sent to a rescue centre. We have been carrying out ABC periodically through a private team as the municipality does not have an ABC centre.
We have been sending stray dogs to Coonoor veterinary centres for ABC. We have sent a proposal to the government with an estimate of `25 lakh for setting up a ABC centre. Once the government approves, the process will be started here.”