Navi Mumbai reports 16K dog bites in a year, stray packs are a threat , say locals
Animal rights activists on the other hand blame the residents. Samuel Das, a dog feeder, said, “No dog attacks unless provoked or is in fear.”
NAVI MUMBAI: In the last one year, the city of Navi Mumbai has witnessed an alarming rise in dog bite cases with aggressive packs ruling many byroads at night. This has become a major concern for two-wheeler riders and pedestrians in several areas.
According to Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), the city reported nearly 16,000 dog bite cases in 2023-2024 against 12,656 in 2022-2023. An average of 44 residents are bitten every day in the city.
NMMC has a dog control programme run under Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001. The programme includes catching stray dogs, sterilising them, marking their ears, administering anti-rabies vaccine and then releasing them back to their areas. The dog control centre has been run since 2006 by ‘In Defence of Animals’.
The last dog census was done in 2012 and revealed 29,864 stray dogs and 3110 pet dogs in the city. According to Dr Prashant Jawade, medical officer of health, NMMC, “We have a very efficient dog control programme in place. Around 80% of the dogs have been sterilised. All dogs caught are sterilised if not already and are always vaccinated against rabies.”
He informed, “1,345 dogs were sterilised last year and 7,156 vaccinated. In the last eight years, 18,765 dogs were sterilised while 58,258 were vaccinated.”
Not everyone is satisfied. Rahul Kadam, a resident of sector 11, Kopar Khairane, said “Sterilising the dogs does not prevent them from biting us. The stray dog population needs to be reduced. It is a nightmare walking near our neighbourhood at night. Several aggressive stray dogs chase bikers and going home on my two-wheeler late at night is risky.”
Sudha Sakpal, a senior citizen of NRI colony Nerul while protesting the feeding of strays in September last year had said, “I was bitten by a stray dog during one such walk. The trauma still persists.”
Animal rights activists on the other hand blame the residents. Samuel Das, a dog feeder in sector 10, Vashi, said, “No dog attacks unless provoked or is in fear. At times, they do so to protect their babies. We have data on how stray dogs have been attacked and poisoned by residents. Four dogs were poisoned in my area.”
Source : Hindustan Times
