Udupi, Sept 30: Karnataka’s coastal district of Udupi, which is famous for its Hindu temples, is now one of the top districts with the maximum number of dog bite cases reported in the country.
In the first eight months of this year, i.e., between January and August 2023, the district has recorded as many as 11,407 cases of dog bites, according to official data. Two persons have also died in these eight months from dog bites in the district.
The rise in dog bite cases can be attributed to increasing number of stray dogs, with local authorities, particularly in rural areas, indifferent to the predicament.
Local urban bodies like CMC, TMC, town panchayat, and gram panchayat are yet to take up animal birth control (ABC) programmes in a sustained manner.
According to Dr Shankar Shetty, Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry Department, Udupi district, the sterilization and ABC programme should be conducted with the co-operation of local authorities like gram panchayat.
The animal husbandry department is ready to cooperate by providing necessary technical support to the panchayats across the district, he said.
Sources said though a tender was floated for sterilization and the ABC programme, not many NGOs came forward. The gram panchayats should set aside the necessary grant backed by a proper action plan to implement the ABC programme in a time-bound manner.
Dr Nagabhushan Udupa, DHO Udupi, said people should take immediate treatment in case of a dog bite as the delay would lead to complex problems. The government health facility centres offer good treatment, he added.
Comments
Add new comment