Mehr-u-nisa
Streets in Kashmir have been, for the past few years, witness to an alarming rise in the number of stray dog attacks. Along with intimidating and chasing people, stray dogs can be seen sitting in the centre of roads and obstructing traffic.
Dogs are naturally drawn to locations where there’s an abundance of meat waste. Careless waste disposal in open dumps is one of the several factors contributing to the rise in the number of stray dogs.
On February 06, a massive protest erupted in Pattan following the death of a ten-year-old kid at Singhpora by a gang of stray dogs. Some days earlier, a 6-year-old boy succumbed to death after getting bitten by some streets dogs.
In the Baramulla district, a lawyer had been attacked and injured by rabid dogs 21 days before he passed away. In the last ten years, roughly 58,869 people in Kashmir have been bitten by dogs, a report by the Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar’s Department of Community Medicines states.
The Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital alone has documented more than 30,000 dog bite incidents in the last five years.
Locals in Srinagar say that SMC’s Ambitious Dog Sterilisation Programme is yet to take off despite the fact that there’s been a significant increase in stray dog population and canine bite cases in the summer capital Srinagar pose a threat to humans.
“We have been pleading with authorities to put a stop to this dog’s scourge for over a year but nothing has been done. The Natipora area in Srinagar is overrun with dozens of dogs. Going out without someone accompanying you is dangerous,” a local shopkeeper of Natipora told The Kashmiriyat.
Several locals claimed that no one was paying heed to their complaints regarding the rising number of stray dogs in their neighbourhoods at the SMC.
SMC’s apathy towards the rapidly expanding population of stray dogs, according to the locals, is having a significant impact on their lives. Children and elderly are constantly threatened by dog bites in the absence of any legislation.
“Our movement is hampered in the evenings due to the presence of a number of stray dogs,” said Mohammed Ashraf, a Shalimar resident.
“Our neighbourhood has dozens of stray dogs. We are scared to go out in the evenings,” another group of Babademb residents remarked.
“Even during the day, dogs follow us. In our neighbourhood, there are at least 30-40 dogs. We don’t believe the authorities are committed to carrying out their duties,” they added. “The sterlising technique is exclusively applied to papers,” Mushtaq Ahmed, a Bemina resident exclaimed.
More than 2,800 dog bites cases were reported in Srinagar alone, in 2021, making it to the top of the list.