Stray dog bites 12 in Mauli Jagran; dies

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 28

A stray dog bit 12 persons in Mauli Jagran locality this morning. A senior MC official said as the dog died after biting the victims and there were chances of it being rabid.

Confirming the development, Dr Kanwarjeet Singh, Joint Director, Department Of Animal Husbandry, Chandigarh Administration, said the dog had died and so they would sent the brain sample of the dead dog to the Kasauli-based Central Research Institute (CRI). The victims are from the Bhootnath Colony of Mauli Jagran and some of the victims are from Mauli Jagran village. 

Victim Sarita Devi said the dog suddenly attacked her. She tried to save herself, but all in vain.The locals had buried the dog but when the victims reached the Sector 19 dispensary, the MC officials came to know about the incident and later exhumed the carcass of the dog. A majority of patients come to the Sector 19 Anti-rabies Dispensary for  treatment. According to locals, the dog had even attacked other dogs before dying. After the dog died, there is panic among the residents of Mauli Jagran.

6-year-old among 6 bitten in Panchkula

Six persons, including a six-year-old girl, were bitten by stray dogs on Friday, a data  of the Civil Hospital in Sector 6 said. None of the cases were serious. A 65-year-old woman was also among the victims. TNS

Taking care in dog-bite case

• Wash the injury or five minutes, allow water to run into the wound. 
• Wash the injury site gently with anti-bacterial soap for five minutes
• Only anti-septic solutions such as betadine should be applied.
• Keep the wound uncovered and consult a physician

No dedicated helpline

There is no dedicated helpline for dog-bite cases in the city. In case of emergency, there is no helpline where a person can seek help. Though the MC has a helpline No. 155304, it is not functional round-the-clock.

Number of canines up

The number of stray dogs on the city streets has soared significantly over the past five years. In 2007, the number was 5,713, whereas the latest census conducted by the UT Animal Husbandry Department in 2014 put the figure at 7,847. The population of stray dogs here has risen by about 36 per cent.