BENGALURU: After back to back stray dog bite cases being reported in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in just three days, TNIE gathers that there have been 11,448 stray dog bite cases recorded from January this year. However, the Palike’s Animal Husbandry Department maintains that the number of cases reported has been coming down, compared to previous years.
“There were as many as 42,818 cases of stray dog bites, in the 2019-2020. However, this year, only 16,888 are reported, which also include cases of pet dog bites,” said a senior official.
According to the BBMP special health commissioner Suralkar Vikas Kishore, “Around 30 to 40 cases have been recorded daily, since January. Compared to the statistics from 2018, the numbers have drastically reduced. This apart, stray dog population has also come down. “There were over 3.10 lakh stray dogs in 2019. With continuous Animal Birth Control (ABC) programs, the number has reduced to 2.7 lakh, as per a survey in 2023,” said the special commissioner.
A senior animal husbandry department official said that the palike has managed to cover 72 per cent of stray dogs, and operated in core areas of Bengaluru, and added that majority of the stray dog population is in outer areas like Bommanahalli, RR Nagar and Mahadevapura.
“There are 2,79,335 stray dogs in Bengaluru, out of which 1,65,341 are male dogs and 82,757 are female. Details about 31,237 dogs is still not known. The department has managed to cover 12,773 stray dogs under the ABC program since January, and has vaccinated 37,394 stray dogs by engaging four agencies,” said the Deputy Director of BBMP animal husbandry department, Dr Chandraiah T.
A senior animal husbandry department official said that the palike has managed to cover 72 per cent of stray dogs, and operated in core areas of Bengaluru, and added that majority of the stray dog population is in outer areas like Bommanahalli, RR Nagar and Mahadevapura.
“There are 2,79,335 stray dogs in Bengaluru, out of which 1,65,341 are male dogs and 82,757 are female. Details about 31,237 dogs is still not known. The department has managed to cover 12,773 stray dogs under the ABC program since January, and has vaccinated 37,394 stray dogs by engaging four agencies,” said the Deputy Director of BBMP animal husbandry department, Dr Chandraiah T.
SECOND DOG BITE CASE IN THREE DAYS
Bengaluru: Two days after an alleged stray dog attack led to the death of an aged woman in Gangammanagudi, a 40-year-old woman was attacked in the OMBR Layout, on Friday morning. The video of the incident of a dog attacking the woman went viral on Friday following which the BBMP animal husbandry department officials swung into action.
According to the videos, the woman was walking and suddenly, a stray dog charged at her and bit her ankle. Before the dog could do more damage the public managed to shoo it away, said local residents.
Assistant Director of BBMP animal husbandry department Dr Mallappa Bhajantri arrived at the spot and said that the animal would be caught and kept in observation for 10 days to check for rabies infection. Meanwhile, animal lover and activist Sunatha Prasanna stated that stray dog bites are normally due to aggression in animals when they are hungry, when provoked, or when a female dog has littered.
“Some times, due to territory issues like, if a dog is abandoned at another place and if the animal has moved to a new place in search of food, there are chances of aggression, and during such time, there may be one or two incidents,” the activists added.