3.36 lakh Hyderabadis bitten by animals in 10 years

With dog attacks being a major cause for concern in recent times, officials of the GHMC’s veterinary department have taken up multiple initiatives to mitigate the issue in recent years.

Hyderabad: Over 3.36 lakh Hyderabadis were bitten by animals in the last 10 years — mostly by domestic animals, including dogs and cats. However, monkey bites were also registered in the city over the years.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials, responding to a query by a public representative, informed that the data maintained by the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Narayanguda was reported from areas within the GHMC limits and surrounding districts.

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With dog attacks being a major cause for concern in recent times, officials of the GHMC’s veterinary department have taken up multiple initiatives to mitigate the issue in recent years. However, the instances of street dog attacks don’t seem to have come down.

A woman attacked by a pack of dogs on her morning walk in Manikonda is the latest incident captured on security cameras. According to the data shared by the corporation in this reply, eight children were mauled to death by street dogs within the GHMC limits in the last 10 years. The civic body received a total of 3.6 lakh complaints of dog menace since 2014.

Although the GHMC has sterilised 7.21 lakh street dogs over the years, authorities and those working toward street dogs’ welfare maintain that even sterilised canines are found to be people. Recently, a committee was formed comprising NGOs, animal activists, veterinarians and others. Upon reviewing the current animal birth control and antirabies (ABC-AR) programme, an additional 20 dog-catching vehicles were roped in.