Over 6800 dog bites set alarm bells ringing in Kashmir

SRINAGAR: A heart-wrenching picture of a 7-year-old badly bruised girl on a hospital stretcher summed up dog terror in Kashmir.

The girl was mauled by a pack of dogs in Kulgam leaving her badly injured. She was shifted to SHMS hospital where she is battling for life.

Last year, massive protests rocked Pattan after a 10-year-old boy was mauled to death by stray dogs at Singhpora. A pack of dogs pounced on Azad Manzoor Ganie of Gund Ibrahim and dragged him away. He was badly bitten before people rushed in to save him. He died en route to the sub-district hospital, Pattan.

These are not the cases in isolation. Kashmir has become a paradise for dogs. Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital records show that on average 30 to 35 dog bite cases report to the anti-rabies center every day.

Official data reveal that 6855 dog bite cases have been reported to the clinic in 2022-23. Srinagar district tops the list with 4912 dog bites in the last one year.

Figures released by the anti-rabies clinic revealed that over 55000 persons have been bitten by dogs since 2013. Figures reveal that 6041 dog bite cases were reported to SMHS hospital in 2013-14, 7324 in 2015-16, 6548 in 2016-17, 6802 in 2017-18, 6399 in 2018-19, 6984 in 2019-20, and 4798 in 2020-21.

According to a dog census conducted by Srinagar Municipal Corporation, there were 49000 dogs in Srinagar city in 2012-13. The unofficial census of 2011 put the population of dogs in Srinagar city at over 60000.

“The situation is very bad. There is an alarming increase in dog bite cases. Stray dogs in Kashmir have become voracious. They attack people in packs. They almost kill people. It is a very dangerous situation,” Dr. Muhammad Salim Khan, head, Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, told The Kashmir Monitor.

Experts believe that dogs in Kashmir get nutritious food as people throw kitchen waste and leftover food on the roadside. Around one lakh poultry birds are slaughtered every day which generates 40000 kilos of waste that caters to the food needs of the stray dogs.

“Dogs in Kashmir look healthy. It is because they have enough food to eat. There is a problem with the disposal of waste. These dogs feed on these leftovers,” said Dr Khan.

Experts have been demanding the sterilization of dogs so that the population is controlled. “SMC should sterilize the dogs. If not, they should put these dogs in shelters so that the human population is saved,” he said.