Hospital officials, citing alarming data, urge civic body to step up sterilisation and ensure ample supply of anti-rabies meds; Since January 1, there have been 335 such cases registered already while on February 10 alone, 135 citizens were bitten by stray canines
Dr Manohar Bansode, dean of Ulhasnagar Central Hospital, tends to a dog-bite victim on Monday; (inset) an injury sustained by another Ulhasnagar local. Pics/Navneet Barhate
Nearly sixty dog bites are reported on an average in Ulhasnagar every day, according to data available at civic-run 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 mid-day.
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Ulhasnagar Central Hospital officials claim that the civic body’s dog sterilisation department has been non-functional for the past six to seven months, leading to the drastic increase in the population of strays in the area.
Stray dogs near a row of dumpsters in Tanaji Nagar, Ulhasnagar
Dr Manohar Bansode, dean of the hospital, said, “In 2024, 21,411 cases of dog bites were reported across Ulhasnagar. Patients were given anti-rabies shots and some were referred to various hospitals. Today [Monday], 135 citizens are receiving medical treatment for dog bites.”
‘Bitten on way to work’
On Monday, Kokila Dilip Jogdand was bitten by a dog in the Tanhaji Nagar area while heading to her workplace.
Ranjana Sonawane, who was bitten on her leg and is undergoing treatment at the Ulhasnagar Central Hospital
According to her brother-in-law, Vinayak, Jogdand has sustained grievous injuries, “Her 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 daily-wage workers and we can’t afford treatment. We live in constant fear of these dogs.”
Another local Santosh Sonawane told mid-day, “My 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 themselves.”
A pack of stray dogs in Ulhasnagar. Pics/Navneet Barhate
‘They return to area’
Pinky Benjamin, another resident, said, “I 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 this.”
MNS leader Moundin Shaikh said, “We 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 resurfaced.”
When contacted, a senior UMC official stated, “Tenders have been issued to ensure the stray dog population doesn’t rise and the sterilisation department will be functional in the next couple of days.”
PETASpeak
Dr Mini Aravindan, director of veterinary services, PETA India, said, “Dogs are normally friendly, social, good-natured 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 puppies.”
She urged citizens to support dog feeders who help build trust in dogs.
According to the organisation, stray dogs are surgically neutered and then released in their own area. “They 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, non-breeding, non-aggressive and rabies-free, and it gradually decreases over a period of time,” Dr Aravindan said.
She added, “Despite 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 six-month period. Pet dogs, not strays, were reportedly the cause of 75.6 per cent of the bite cases.”
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