Stray dogs that kill humans

In the basic lessons for journalism students, there's the foreigner's definition for "What is news?": “If a dog bites a man, it is not news; if a man bites a dog, it is news.” The poor foreigner was simply saying that it's the unusual that turns events into news. But in Kerala today, incidents of street dogs biting and even killing people regularly appear as front-page news in the media. In a way, the unusual nature of these attacks is what makes them news. Street dogs are attacking people without any provocation. They run around biting several people, enter houses and attack residents, and even gather in groups to bite and injure small children. In many places across the state, these incidents resemble a kind of “terror attack” by stray dogs!

It has been three months since the Supreme Court directed state governments to take urgent steps to remove stray dogs from public places. The court issued strict instructions, including sterilising dogs and keeping them in shelters, and preventing people from feeding them on the streets. The court also said that if stray dogs injure people, the responsibility will lie with the respective governments. It made it clear that love for animals should not be placed above the right of citizens to live safely. The court asked local bodies to control the problem through scientific methods that balance public safety and animal welfare. However, there is no clear information that such steps have been effectively implemented anywhere in the country. Meanwhile, stray dogs continue to attack people and create disturbing news.

The latest shocking incident happened in Erumapetty in Thrissur, where a stray dog entered a house and killed an elderly woman who was bedridden. The victim was 84-yea-old Karthyayani, from Vellarakkad, who had been confined to bed after suffering a leg fracture from a fall two years ago. She was unable to get up from bed when the dog attacked her. Her mentally ill son was also bitten and seriously injured. Another son, who arrived at night with food for his mother, was the first to see the horrifying scene. The dog that carried out the attack was beaten to death by locals the next morning. Reports say the dog had rabies. It had also bitten several pedestrians and domestic animals earlier. The incident in Thrissur clearly shows how serious and frightening the stray dog menace has become.

The responsibility for implementing the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme to control stray dogs lies with local self-government institutions. However, these institutions often face financial difficulties in carrying out sterilisation programmes, building shelters, and providing food for the dogs kept there. The programme to control stray dog breeding cannot be postponed simply because of lack of funds. In the recent Union Budget, several development projects were announced, and many of them will be implemented by local bodies. These institutions also have to find financial resources for such projects. Along with schemes for rural sanitation and maintenance of drinking water sources, both the central and state governments should ensure proper funding for the ABC programme as well. Local bodies must treat stray dog control as one of the most urgent issues requiring immediate action. After all, nothing else matters unless human life itself is protected.