Ulhasnagar reports 135 dog bites in a day; 335 since Jan, and 21,411 in 2024

Nearly sixty dog bites are reported on an average in Ulhasnagar every day according to data available at civicrun hospitals in the suburb Since January 1 there have been 335 such cases registered already while on February 10 alone 135 citizens were bitten by stray canines Despite the Ulhasnagar Central Hospital repeatedly raising concerns about the menace with the local municipal corporation not much has been done to address the issue residents told middayUlhasnagar Central Hospital officials claim that the civic bodyrsquos dog sterilisation department has been nonfunctional for the past six to seven months leading to the drastic increase in the population of strays in the areaStray dogs near a row of dumpsters in Tanaji Nagar UlhasnagarDr Manohar Bansode dean of the hospital said ldquoIn 2024 21411 cases of dog bites were reported across Ulhasnagar Patients were given antirabies shots and some were referred to various hospitals Today Monday 135 citizens are receiving medical treatment for dog bitesrdquolsquoBitten on way to workrsquoOn Monday Kokila Dilip Jogdand was bitten by a dog in the Tanhaji Nagar area while heading to her workplaceRanjana Sonawane who was bitten on her leg and is undergoing treatment at the Ulhasnagar Central HospitalAccording to her brotherinlaw Vinayak Jogdand has sustained grievous injuries ldquoHer injury is so grievous that her bone has been damaged she is yet to receive the rabies injection The hospital has told us that there is no adequate supply of injections and they will shift her to a different facility tomorrow if needed This is not an isolated incident I request the authorities to look into the matter as we are dailywage workers and we canrsquot afford treatment We live in constant fear of these dogsrdquoAnother local Santosh Sonawane told midday ldquoMy mother Ranjana Sonawane was bitten on her leg and is undergoing treatment at the hospital I want the authorities to act as this is not a new phenomenon Dogs target senior citizens and children who cannot defend themselvesrdquoA pack of stray dogs in Ulhasnagar PicsNavneet BarhatelsquoThey return to arearsquoPinky Benjamin another resident said ldquoI take tuitions in the area and students are constantly being bitten by dogs The municipality has been cooperative and canines have been rescued But they come back here I am a dog lover and feed dogs and I understand that the dogs need to be cared for The corporations should act on thisrdquoMNS leader Moundin Shaikh said ldquoWe get calls from citizens daily and have been helping them The corporation has failed to act Some dogs were sterilised and released but after some days the problem resurfacedrdquoWhen contacted a senior UMC official stated ldquoTenders have been issued to ensure the stray dog population doesnrsquot rise and the sterilisation department will be functional in the next couple of daysrdquoPETASpeakDr Mini Aravindan director of veterinary services PETA India said ldquoDogs are normally friendly social goodnatured animals who would not usually attack a person unprovoked Yet when humans shout at stray dogs kick or beat them throw rocks at them toss hot water or acid on them poison them or abuse them in other ways as they commonly do they may feel cornered or be put in the fearful mindset that they need to protect themselves or their puppiesrdquoShe urged citizens to support dog feeders who help build trust in dogsAccording to the organisation stray dogs are surgically neutered and then released in their own area ldquoThey are also vaccinated against rabies Since territories are not left vacant new dogs cannot enter Mating and breeding also cease With no mating or crossing of territories dog fights reduce dramatically Since fighting reduces bites to humans also become rare The dogs are immunised so they do not spread rabies Over time as the dogs die natural deaths their numbers dwindle The dog population becomes stable nonbreeding nonaggressive and rabiesfree and it gradually decreases over a period of timerdquo Dr Aravindan saidShe added ldquoDespite the abuse that stray dogs routinely face it seems that many dog bites are from pet dogs such as those who play roughly and not from strays For example statistics show that stray dogs were not responsible for the majority of the bite cases reported by General Hospital Ernakulam in the sixmonth period Pet dogs not strays were reportedly the cause of 756 per cent of the bite casesrdquo