BENGALURU: A shocking 517 dog bite cases were registered in the city in April alone, of which 194 were classified as Class 3 (severe) cases at 110 urban health centres and referral hospitals of BBMP, shows the civic body’s registry.
One of the cases recorded involved a six-year-old girl who was bitten by her neighbour’s dog at Ganganagar. The number of cases involving pet dogs has also risen, with 975 instances happening in the first four months of this year as compared to 387 during the whole of last year.
Earlier this year, a three-year-old girl in RT Nagar was bitten by a pet dog. On March 25, a six-year-old boy was bitten in Yelahanka. According to the last dog census, conducted by BBMP in 2007, the stray dog population was 1,83,758 while pet dogs numbered at 1,43,522. Citizens say one of the ways to curb the problem is through licensing of pets. “It offers advantages such as regular vaccination checks and identification of the dog in case it’s lost,” Shruti V Nithin, a pet dog owner, said.
For strays, BBMP undertakes animal birth control measures. “If one bites, we keep it for 10 days to check for rabies,” Shashikumar S, deputy director (animal husbandry), BBMP, said. “If nothing is found, we leave the dog at the same spot. But for pet dogs, it is the owner’s responsibility. As of now, licence is given to pet shops and not pet dogs,” he added.