QUESTIONS ARISE OVER HANDLING OF SITAPUR DOG MENACE
Shifting dogs will disturb the natural ecosystem of forest areas, says UP principal chief conservator of forests
LUCKNOW: Even as the administration and police grapple with issue of Sitapur dog attacks, in which eight children have been killed and several others injured in the last one week, certain questions arise over the handling of the situation:
*Was the administration’s response to the attacks delayed that increased the death toll?
*Why could not medical services be provided to the victims in the village itself?
*Dozens of dog bite victims are coming to Lucknow for anti-rabies injection. Is there proper awareness about availability of health facilities in the affected villages?
*Sterilisation of dogs could be a solution in the long run, but will it bring immediate ‘relief’ to the villagers?
*Sterilising the dogs and again leaving them near the villages or relocating them in forests are no solutions. Is any government department or NGO working on a permanent solution to the problem?
LUCKNOW: Taking a tough stand against Sitapur district administration’s decision to shift feral dogs, caught in the district, to Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR), forest officials have warned of “strict action against anybody who does so.”
Sitapur district administration had ordered to catch and relocate in PTR forests the feral dogs following rampant dog attacks in the district in which eight children were killed and several others injured last week.
“We cannot permit anyone to shift animals, which live near human settlements, to forest reserves because it will disturb the natural ecosystem of the reserve,” said Rupak Dey, UP principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF).
“The forest department will be forced to take action against anybody who attempts such a thing,” the officer added.
After the refusal by the forest department, the feral dogs caught in Sitapur are now being sent to Kanha Upvan in Lucknow.
“A total of 33 dogs, which were caught from the areas where these attacks took place, have been shifted to Kanha Upvan,” said Rakesh Patel, city magistrate of Sitapur
These dogs will be sterilised at the veterinary hospital at the upvan before being released back in Sitapur district.
However, experts say that though sterilisation will prevent increase in dog population, it will have not end dog attacks.
The Sitapur district administration is also relying on creating awareness among people to prevent dog attacks. It is targeting school going children and their parents for the awareness campaign.
The Sitapur district magistrate held a meeting with Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) and district inspector of schools (DIoS) and directed them to make children and their parents aware about the dos and don’ts to avoid dog attacks.
“I have asked the BSA and DIoS to ensure that a note is written in students’ diaries for their parents, requesting them to keep their children away from dogs and not to leave them be unattended,” said Sheetal Verma, DM, Sitapur. “We will also shut down school in affected areas, if needed,” he added.
Apart from the students, the administration is also planning to form groups of local volunteers who can educate villagers about ways to save children from dog attacks.
“We aim to create such groups in each affected village. Veterinary officers and other district officials will aid these groups,” said the city magistrate.
According to experts, while immediate attacks can be prevented by creating awareness, mass sterilisation of the dogs was the only long-term solution to curb dog attacks.
“Sterilisation and vaccination of dogs is a slow process but is the most humane way to counter this problem,” said Shilpa Mahbubani, spokesperson of Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA), a Bengaluru-based NGO, which works to control dog population in residential areas.
The World Health Organisation also suggests sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs as an effective means to check dog population and spread of zoonotic disease like rabies.
In India, a draft formulated under prevention of cruelty to animals (Animal Birth Control Rules-2001) also prescribes sterilisation as the only method to check dog population, linked directly to attacks.
“What is needed to control such attacks is a robust sterilisation campaign by local municipal bodies along with NGOs and other groups. These measures had proved to be effective in cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and can be effective in other places too,” the CUPA spokesperson said.