KOCHI: Even as a 65-year-old woman Shiluvamma was bitten to death by more than 50 stray dogs at Pulluvila beach in Kerala last week, around 2.5 lakh dogs are still roaming freely in parks, alleyways and street corners in the state, as per the preliminary report submitted by Justice S Siri Jagan. The state Cabinet, however, has sanctioned `5 lakh to Shiluvamma’s family.
The report, which delved into the stray dog menace, said the Kerala Medical Service Corporation was spending `5 to `7 crore annually on anti-rabies vaccine and serum. Around 31,334 dog bite cases have been reported up to May 2016 in the state. Around 1,22,286 cases were reported in 2015 and 1,19,191 in 2014. Thiruvananthapuram topped the list with 5,948 cases while only 382 cases were registered in Kozhikode district till May.
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Kerala is estimated to have a stray dog population of 2.5 lakh, feeding lavishly on wastes and garbage dumps. Frequent dog attacks on children have created a dangerous situation,” the report said.
The dogs have spared none, including schoolchildren, aged persons, pedestrians, joggers and two-wheeler riders. The Justice Jagan Committee, which was constituted on April 5, probed several aspects of dog bite cases, including injuries sustained by persons, nature and gravity of the injury, availability of medicines, treatment administered to the victims, effectiveness of treatment and its failure in case of a death and particulars of the deceased.