Cases of dog bite drop from 9K in 2019 to 800 in 2020 due to lockdown

There has been decline in the number of reported cases of dog bites in Pune between January 1 and December 31, 2020

There has been decline in the number of reported cases of dog bites in Pune between January 1 and December 31, 2020.

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Eight hundred cases of dog bite were registered during these 12 months.

However, during the period between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019, 9,134 cases of dig bites were recorded.

Civic officials have attributed the decline to the citywide lockdown last year, with Punekars spending more time indoors April to November.

Dr Prakash Wagh, PMC’s veterinary superintendent said, “Citizens did not step out on the roads during the lockdown period and whatever incidents took place have occurred during the morning and night times. After the lockdown period, the sterilisation programme has intensified and it this brings down the number of dog-bite incidents.”

Sunita Khare, an animal rights activist, said, “The strays are facing issues related to lack of food, due to unavailability during the lockdown period. Dogs don’t bite humans without a reason, unless provoked. Society needs to be considerate about strays and give them their due space to avoid man-animal conflict.”

The population of stray dogs has gone up from 40,000 to 3 lakh in the last 10 years, according to a livestock survey conducted by the central government in 2019, as per to animal husbandry department and PMC.

According to a new proposal, PMC will appoint NGOs to execute the animal birth control programme and provide 15 vehicles to such NGOs to undertake the programme. PMC is framing a programme for three years, like Mumbai, to control the population of dogs.

At present, there are two dog pounds, one at the Naidu Hospital near Pune railway station and another located in the Mundhwa area; and a third is coming up in the Baner area.