Srinagar, Feb 22: To keep check on the rise of canine attacks in Srinagar, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has partnered with Rajasthan based agency to carry out sterilisation of dogs and control their population in the city.
Every month, hundreds of dog bite cases are reported in Srinagar, and the number keeps on rising. The city is also reporting dog bite cases on a regular basis.
The SMC also conducted a dog census a decade ago, with approximately 90,000 dogs present until 2011. However, experts believe that the number could have doubled in the last 12 years.
More than three years ago, SMC started work on a major dog sterilisation facility at Tengpora, Srinagar, under the Animal Birth Control and Anti-Rabies Project, but the project is yet to be completed.
The people from various parts of the city complain that in the evening they are restricted to homes due to canine terror in the city; also, the children and elderly people stay indoors in the morning and evening to stay safe from canine attack.
A resident of Bemina, Abdul Rashid told Rising Kashmir that her 11-year-old daughter was attacked by dogs in broad daylight earlier this week, but she was fortunate that some people who were walking along the stretch saved her from the dogs.
As per officials, in the past ten months, more than 6,000 dog bites have been reported in the valley, and Srinagar is on the top list. The SMHS hospital in the city has reported the highest number of dog bite cases in the last few years.
According to a doctor from the SMHS hospital’s anti-rabies center, around 20–30 dog bite cases per day have been reported here in the last decade, with no decrease in the number of such cases.
The doctor also said sterilising dogs was the only way to end the dog bite cases in the valley. Until the sterilisation is strictly completed, there is no control over the canines’ attacks.
Dogs reproduce offspring twice a year and can produce up to 6–8 puppies every six months. It also depends on the carrying capacity of society. He said, “Our habitat is non-vegetarian, and they feed on garbage, which is also one of the reasons for their increasing population.”
He said at present there is only one sterilisation centre operational where around 10 surgeries are conducted on a daily basis, and this single unit can’t cater to the city dogs as their population is too high.
However, he said that two more sterilisation units are being added, and after that, around 1500 to 2500 surgeries would be conducted on a monthly basis. That would provide a major relief to city residents.
A senior official from the corporation told Rising Kashmir that SMC will maintain complete control over Animal Birth Control (ABC), the dog sterilisation programme launched by Corporation. The Rajasthan-based firm has been hired for assisting in the process.
