13-yr-old hurt in stray dog attack, 5th such case in Srishti Apartments in 2 months

The incident took place in Jankipuram’s Srishti Apartments, an LDA high-rise building, on Monday evening.

LUCKNOW There seems to be no end to incidents of stray dogs attacking defenseless people in the city. In the latest case, a 13-year-old boy sustained injuries in an attack by a pack of stray dogs. The incident took place in Jankipuram’s Srishti Apartments, an LDA high-rise building, on Monday evening. Concerningly, this is the fifth such case in the same building within a span of just two months.

A pack of three-four dogs suddenly attacked Raj Aryan when he was playing in the building lawn. (HT Photo)

“The pack of three-four dogs suddenly attacked Raj Aryan when he was playing in the building lawn. He sustained injuries in his legs,” said the boy’s mother Preeti Upadhyay. She added, “Fortunately, the boy had a stick to shoo the canines away and save himself. We took him to the hospital and got him injections to prevent rabies. The injuries may take a month to heal. This at a time when his final exams are ongoing.”

In previous such cases on the building premises, a maintenance worker, two women, and a teenager have suffered injuries in separate dog attack incidents. “Due to multiple dog bites, the residents of the building have now started going out with sticks or in groups. These attacks are often ignored by concerned authorities until a big incident takes place. Are the civic bodies waiting for a Hyderabad-like incident where a boy was killed by a pack of dogs,” asked Vivek Sharma, a member of the resident welfare association. “Dogs are left back in the building after sterilisation. They come back more aggressive,” he added.

Speaking on the several dog attack incidents, chief veterinary officer Abhinav Verma said that most of the areas near Srishti Apartment are high rises. Dogs aren’t being fed enough. It may be one of the reasons making them aggressive. A majority of dogs are yet to be sterilised but we dispatched a vehicle to capture them a day before the attack. However, The Supreme Court has, in several of its orders, mentioned that the relocation of dogs cannot be permitted. Hence, we can’t relocate stray animals and must return them to their original locations.”

The attack comes in the wake of the urban development department drafting a new set of ‘Dos and Don’ts’ in the context of pet registration. Dog owners are now required to submit an undertaking stating that their pet won’t cause a public nuisance. Additional municipal commissioner (animal welfare) Dr Arvind Rao said, “The idea is to make dog owners accountable for the actions of their pets. Stray dog lovers will also have to be equally cautious. They will also be held accountable for feeding ferocious dogs.”

In days to come, the registration of stray dogs will be done without any fee, along with their sterilisation and first vaccination. Individuals and resident groups looking to adopt five or more stray dogs will be treated at par with shelter homes and have to adhere to the guidelines framed by the Animal Welfare Board of India.

MONGREL MENACE

There are approximately 90,000 stray dogs in Lucknow.

Nearly 2,000 stray dogs are sterilised every month.

A total of 52,000 dogs have been sterilised in the city so far.