Kolhapur: Panic as stray dog goes berserk, bites 31 citizens

KOLHAPUR: A stray dog went on a biting spree, spreading panic and attacking at least 31 people in Venus Corner, Shahupuri, Uttareshwar and Phulewadi areas on Wednesday evening.
Those bitten by the dog included 21 men, seven women and three children in the 8-10 years age group. They were taken to the Chhatrapati Pramila Raje (CPR) civil hospital for treatment.
The rush of dog bite victims and their relatives at the CPR hospital created a chaotic situation and it had to be brought under control by police and private security personnel on duty.
“All the 31 patients were kept under observation for 24 hours, and later released. All of them were treated with anti-rabies vaccine, serum and an injection immediately after they were brought to the hospital,” said Ajay Lokare, the dean of the CPR civil hospital.
“We have sufficient stock of medicines and vaccines to treat dog bite patients,” he added.
Baburao Ingawale, a 62-year-old resident of Shiye, was one of the victims. “I had come to Shahupuri for some personal work. When I was crossing the road, a pack of dogs came running and surrounded me. A black dog from the pack bit me and ran away,” he said.
A man, who had gone to deliver milk, too said a black dog attacked him when he halted near the Venus Corner road.
Vijay Patil, the veterinary officer of the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation, said, “As soon as we got the information, a team of civic officials was sent to nab the dog. Despite giving it a chase, we could not catch the animal. We are keeping a watch on it and will catch it for sterilization and vaccination as soon as possible.”
The officer said the stray dog menace has increased in the city as the nearby villages and towns do not take any action to control the number of strays. As per the norms set by the state government, the KMC has its own dog shelter and three veterinary doctors are empanelled to look into the stray dog menace, he said.
“We have a team that catches 10 stray dogs daily. We sterilize and vaccinate the canines. We are controlling the dog population within the KMC limits. If the dog population in one area drops, dogs from other localities, mostly from villagers and other peripheral areas, fill the vacuum,” said Patil.
The officer said that if all the local bodies, including gram panchayats and municipal councils, start sterilization and vaccination, the dog population will be under control.