13 dog bites in a day by frightens Uran village

Multiple cases of dog bites in Khopta village in Uran have caused fear among residents, with 13 people being bitten in a single day. The village has shut down its school and captured eight stray dogs, with investigations ongoing into the cause of the attacks.

Navi Mumbai:

13 dog bites in a day by frightens Uran village

Fear reigns among the residents of Khopta village in Uran after multiple cases of dog bites were reported on Sunday. As many as 13 people were bitten by at least three dogs in a single day, prompting the residents to remain indoors.

“At least four people in my locality were bitten by stray dogs with no provocation. Of the four, two were my own relatives and they had to undergo a lot of hardships,” said Kishor Thakur, a resident of the village,

Residents said stray dogs have been moving around in the area, but an incident of this nature has never occurred. “Khopta village has seven localities and there are a lot of stray dogs residing in these areas. But for reason unknown, some of the dogs have turned violent. We are not sure what caused the dogs to go on a biting spree,” said Ratnesh Patil, another resident.

Those bitten were given treatment at the local government hospital. “I was preparing lunch outside my house when a stray dog came around. I assumed it to be a familiar dog, but it suddenly attacked me and bit my hand. Since the injury was quite deep, the private clinic in the village asked me to get admitted to a government hospital,” said Jaywanti Thakur (45). Jaywanti suffered extensive loss of blood. She was discharged on Tuesday night

The unprovoked attack has prompted the village to keep everyone indoors. The gram panchayat committee ordered the solitary school in the area to be shut down till the stray dogs were captured. “Since we didn’t want any children to suffer the same consequence, the administration declared two days of holiday. The block development officer contacted the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) and asked them to send their dog-catching vehicle with urgency,” said Vishakha Thakur, the Sarpanch of the village.

Between Monday and Tuesday, the villagers along with the gram panchayat committee managed to nab eight stray dogs. The panchayat committee will be patrolling the area for the next few days to locate the remaining dogs as well. “The PMC has said the captured dogs would be kept under observation to determine if any of the dogs were rabid. Of the 13 bitten, six were treated at the government hospital and the remaining seven were given preliminary treatment at private hospitals. Some of the patients have been discharged and are now required to come for a further check-up on doctor’s advice,” said the block development officer Sameer Watawkar. The officer has said the cause of the sudden spike in dog bites is being investigated. “ I have asked my office to collect data on the probable reason for the dog bites,” He said