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Citizens see red after stray dog bites, injures minor boy in Pune
A 7-year-old boy from Brahma Suncity Society, who was playing with his grandfather, was badly bitten by a group of stray dogs
Citizens are raising voice against stray dogs and animal lovers feeding them at public places after a group of stray canines attacked a seven-year-old boy at Wadgaonsheri, injuring him seriously. It has also come to light from the records of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) that day by day, the stray dog menace is growing and so are the number of dog bites year-on-year.
Following the Tuesday incident wherein a 7-year-old boy, from Brahma Suncity Society, who was playing with his grandfather, was badly bitten by a group of stray dogs and is now being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Sassoon Hospital, Wadgaonsheri residents have raised complaints about animal lovers feeding these strays at various locations.
Resident Satish Wani said, “It is okay for people to love animals and we don’t have a problem with that. But then they should adopt these strays and keep them in their homes and not feed them at public places.”
Senior citizen Radhika Galande said, “Stray dogs are becoming aggressive. It is very difficult to walk on the roads due to these strays. Citizens are feeding them biscuits and jalebis which are not appropriate for them.”
Saneep Joshi from Kothrud went to the extent of saying that not only strays but even pet dogs are becoming a nuisance nowadays. “Citizens are getting their pet dogs into our societies and their poop is lying near our homes. They bring their pet dogs mainly for this purpose. Why can’t these pet owners clean-up after their pets.”
Savita Limaye said, “Although pets are banned from gardens and hills, many citizens are getting them along to Taljai and Vetal tekdi hill. Some citizens are even feeding strays in gardens. We can understand their love for dogs but at the same time, authorities should ensure the safety of other citizens.”
Whereas Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sadeep Khardekar said, “The citizens who are feeding these strays should take responsibility for the medical and other expenses incurred by citizens who are being bitten by them. These animal lovers too are to blame. Every year, the number of dog bites is increasing. Citizens are complaining to elected members but we too cannot do much in these cases.”
A PMC official requesting anonymity said, “It is true that nowadays, the menace of stray dogs has increased. Even pet lovers have become more aggressive. If we try to take action, these pet lovers raise voice collectively. There is complete division between pet lovers and those opposed to pets.” Another officer on condition of anonymity accepted that the dog sterilisation programme is not helping to control the birth of puppies.
“Despite implementing this programme all over the city, the animals’ birth ratio has not come down anywhere,” the official said.
