Dog menace continues in Lko as pack of strays attacks 14-yr-old boy

This is the second time in ten days when stray dogs have attacked building occupants. Earlier, a 40-year-old woman, Rohana Asif, who lives in the same building, was attacked in a similar manner.

LUCKNOW In yet another case of a dog attack in the state capital, a 14-year-old boy, Pranav Rai, was attacked by a group of 6-7 stray dogs, injuring several parts of his body. The incident took place at the compound of Lucknow Development Authority’s (LDA) Srishti Apartment situated at Kursi Road in Lucknow on Tuesday.

The boy was attacked when he had come down to the parking lot to fetch something. (HT Photo)

The boy was attacked when he had come down to the parking lot to fetch something. According to his father AK Rai, around half-a-dozen dogs attacked the boy and a few of them bit him on the legs. “We immediately rushed him to the doctor. He is doing fine now but the incident has made him fearful of even stepping out of the house due to stray dogs,” said Rai.

This is the second time in ten days when stray dogs have attacked building occupants. Earlier, a 40-year-old woman, Rohana Asif, who lives in the same building, was attacked in a similar manner while strolling in the evening. She suffered serious injuries and was admitted to a nearby hospital. “I was out for an evening walk with my father-in-law when dogs started barking at me. They attacked me when I tried to shoo them away,” said Rohana. She added, “I was attacked by one of the dogs while other canines tried to rip flesh from my leg, thigh, and waist. When the neighbours heard my screams, they rushed to save me.”

Residents have alleged that action taken by authorities in the matter has not yielded desired results. “More than 12 instances of dogs attacking the residents of our apartment have taken place in a short period. The strays usually target women and children. When we complain to the LDA and the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC), the dogs are sterilised. However, the authorities leave them here after sterilisation. They return back more aggressive,” said Vivek Sharma, vice-president of Jan Kalyan Mahasamiti and resident of the building.

Sharing his insights over increasing cases of dog attacks, Harsh Raghuvanshi, a professional dog trainer, said that sterilisation may change the behaviour of dogs as catching them for the process could be a traumatising experience for them. “In male dogs, the post-recovery period lasts only a few hours but in female canines, it takes at least a week... Each time a dog barks, the others in the group join in. Due to which people get fearful, hence, they either shoo them away or flee, which causes the stray animals to retaliate,” he added.

Despite several attempts, chief veterinary officer Abhinav Verma remained unavailable to comment on the issue.

PIC CAPTION: The boy was attacked when he had come down to the parking lot to fetch something.