Stray dog menace in Hyderabad turns never-ending horror story

In more than 50 per cent of instances, children are found to be the victims. In a recent incident, a six-year-old boy was mauled to death by stray dogs at a dump yard in Maktha in Miyapur.

Hyderabad: The stray dog menace in the city seems to be a never-ending issue with the canines increasingly targeting children in recent cases raising concerns.

In more than 50 per cent of instances, children are found to be the victims. In a recent incident, a six-year-old boy was mauled to death by stray dogs at a dump yard in Maktha in Miyapur. This was one among several such stray attack on children in recent times.

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While local residents demand to relocate the dogs from their area, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation maintain that as per norms, after catching and sterilising the dogs, they are supposed to be left in the same place from where they were caught. Dogs cannot be shifted to a deserted area or in the city outskirts.

“Dog-bite cases have been increasing and children have been majorly attacked by the dogs. We urge the authorities concerned to shift the dogs from our area to safeguard our children,” said T. Seetharam from Secunderabad.

According to animal activists, the current situation is nothing but an animal-human conflict in which children are easy targets. “Children are often left on the roads without being monitored by their parents. Parents should teach children not to tease or attack stray dogs. Mostly, dogs attack in defense when they sense any harm,” said P.Pridhvi from Citizens for Animals, an NGO.

The GHMC officials keeping in mind all the rules related to the protection of dogs should ensure that no dog attack incidents happen further, Pridhvi said.

Apart from Animal Birth Control-cum-Anti Rabies (ABC-AR) programme, the civic body has taken up awareness programme among residents about safety and preventive measures against dog bites and educating the owners of non-veg shops, hotels and restaurants about the do’s and don’ts.

“GHMC must identify dogs which are aggressive or suspected to be rabid or have a behavioral change and shift them to the centre. They should be kept under observation for a few days and should be put back in the same place after sterilization. This will ensure mental condition of dogs is not disturbed,” animal activists said.

Some recent incidents:

*June 2024- six-year-old boy mauled to death in Miyapur.

*April 2024 – two-an-a-half-year-old girl dies in dog attack in Jeedimetla.

*February 2024 – One-year-old boy mauled to death in Shamshabad.

 

Not all street dogs attack humans, says activist

Not all street dogs attack humans. Either the ones that are not neutered or those that turn feral, behave aggressively and attack humans, says Vasanthi Vadi, founder president of People for Animals (PFA).

“There are two primary reasons why they do. First, if the street dog is not neutered, it impacts its hormones resulting in aggression. On the other hand, the animals which feed on the raw wastage from meat stalls in residential colonies tend to attack humans,” Vasanthi said. Instead of stereotyping all street dogs as aggressive and harmful, the civic authorities and the NGOs should identify those who have not been neutered and neuter them.