A casual walk to a friend’s house in Gnana Prakasam Nagar on a Sunday morning landed Vinu in the Government General Hospital after a stray dog pounced on him aggressively.
By the time, he tried to wriggle out from the jaws of the dog, there were bite marks on his right leg. “It happened all of a sudden. A dog came from behind and bit me on my right leg. As it started barking, other dogs surrounded me. But luckily a woman residing in the locality chased them away. It was really a horrifying experience.”
Vinu has taken three doses of anti-rabies vaccination in the hospital. He has to take two more during the course of this month.
Vinu’s case is not an isolated incident in Puducherry, where the stray dog population has mushroomed due to the failure of authorities to keep the growth of canine population under check.
Last week, sixty-five-year old Ambiga, a resident of Vaithikuppam, fell on the road when a stray dog suddenly pounced on her. “The dog bit my ear and it started bleeding profusely. I was taken to a hospital by an autorickshaw driver,” she said.
She added: “I feel scared to walk on the road. There are packs of 10 to 15 dogs prowling on the street the whole day. We are unable to walk at night. I did not do anything to provoke the dog. I hope something is done to make us feel safe.”
Just four days ago, panic-stricken traders at Goubert Market made frantic calls to the municipal authorities to rescue them from a female dog which went on a biting spree. The authorities with the help of Veterinary Welfare and Animal Society of Pondicherry caught the dog and shifted it to the Animal Welfare Department premises. According to civic body authorities, the dog attacked as many as 11 people.
According to S. Mohan Kumar, Medical Superintendent, Government General Hospital, on an average 20 to 30 cases are reported every day in GH alone. Hospital records show as many as 2,112 people were administered anti-rabies vaccination from January to June this year.
“The GH alone spends around Rs. 3. 5 lakh for providing free treatment to people bitten by dogs. Some of the people come with grievous injuries, which prolong the treatment procedure,” he said.
As per census conducted by the Local Administration Department, there are 24,766 dogs in the Union Territory. Of them, 5,987 dogs are in Puducherry Municipality Area and 7,929 in the OulgaretMunicipal limits.
Online spat
The stray dog problem here even caught the national attention a few months ago after Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi and Union Minister for Child Development Maneka Gandhi entered into a spat on online media over handling of the issue. Ms Bedi suggested shifting of stray dogs to pounds in an effort to curb its population. She reportedly suggested pounds for dogs and streets for people. She went on to accuse the Union Minister of interfering in the work of the municipal authorities in controlling the stray dog population. The Union Minister retorted by saying that Ms. Bedi had a history of attacking everyone to ensure her popularity.
The city has also witnessed a recent heart-warming of an animal rights activist rescuing dogs that fell down into episode of dogs fallen into an escalator shaft at an under-construction site being rescued by an animal activist. Morning walkers on the beach can be seen with containers of food feeding the stray dogs.
While there are residents advocating unlawful measures to get rid of dogs for being a “public menace” and a health risk, there are animal lovers who decry any form of instinctive retaliation.
Morning walkers on the beach can come across a handful of regulars with containers of food feeding the strays. There are also animal lovers who go out of their way to help stray dogs in distress. Recently, one such animal lover rescued three dogs that had fallen down an elevator shaft at a construction site as they panicked during the bursting of Deepavali firecrackers.
“It’s a man made problem. Don’t blame it on the animal. I feel ashamed when people come out with suggestions to kill the dogs as a solution to control canine population,” said an elderly man who visits the beach on most days to feed the dogs.
“I don’t want to reveal my name or place of residence because there is so much of anger against those supporting the strays,” he said.
