9-year-old boy bitten by stray

BBMP blames it on breeding season

A nine-year-old boy on his way to attend tuition class was bitten by a stray dog near his house in the Railway Wheel factory quarters premises, in Yelahanka early Sunday morning.

Chethan Gowda, who suffered injuries on his leg and scratches on his body, was rushed to the Railway hospital.

The incident occured at around 7.15 in the morning, when Chethan along with a friend spotted a few stray dogs and ran out of fear as the dogs began to chase them. The dogs, however, caught up with Chethan and attacked him, while his friend managed to escape.

Shankare Gowda, Chethan’s father, who works in the electrical maintenance department in the Wheel and Axle Plant, said that at least a hundred dogs roamed inside quarters.
A week ago, the son of a colleague was also bitten by a dog inside the quarter’s premises and cases of dog bites were common in the area, he said.

“Despite several complaints, the BBMP has not attended to the problem. Since there is no door-to-door collection of garbage, women who go out to throw the garbage have also got bitten,” he added.

Breeding season

According to the BBMP, they had neutered most of the strays in Yelahanka, but despite their efforts some dogs could have escaped the Anti-birth control (ABC) programme.

Dr V Ramesh, Assistant director, animal husbandry, said: “We have made all the efforts to conduct the ABC programme successfully, but many dogs escape when the dog-catchers arrive.”

He blamed the residents for inviting dogs into their premises by throwing garbage around.

Dr Parvez Ahmad Piran, joint director, animal husbandry, BBMP, said: “It is the breeding season for dogs and they show a lot of aggression that can lead to attacks on unsuspecting residents.

“In Chethan’s case, the boy ran, as soon as he saw the dog. This may have provoked the dog to attack him. Canines get provoked easily during breeding season, so citizens must be careful.”

Dr Piran said dog bite cases were  reported mostly from the newly-added areas of BBMP, where the ABC and anti-rabies programme started in 2007.
“It will take some time before all the dogs in these areas are completely neutered and vaccinated,” he added.