Noida: Stray dog attacks 7-month-old; baby succumbs to injuries
What's the story
A seven-month-old baby died at a private hospital in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday after being mauled by a stray dog inside a housing society. The incident took place on Monday afternoon when the parents of the infant, construction laborers by profession, were working at Noida Sector 100's Lotus Boulevard society. Residents protested against the authorities for failing to curb the "stray dog menace."
Details
Baby lost life undergoing treatment at hospital
The baby's parents kept him near them while working inside Lotus Boulevard when a stray dog came and attacked the infant, leaving him severely injured. He was rushed to a private hospital, where he succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment. Concerned agencies were later directed to catch the dog. Meanwhile, protesting residents alleged that civic authorities have failed to sterilize and vaccinate stray dogs.
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What did the police say about the incident?
"The parents of the child are construction workers. Both were engaged in construction work inside the society and...kept their child near them. However, a stray dog had entered the society which bit the child, leaving him severely injured," ACP (Noida 1) Rajneesh Verma told PTI.
Preventive measures
Measures to prevent dog bite incidents
Dog bite incidents have reportedly been on the rise in Noida, Ghaziabad, and parts of Delhi-NCR over the past few months. To tackle this, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) launched a pet registration exercise in April and warned non-complying dog owners of strict action. Housing societies have also been asked to conduct meetings with dog owners to prevent dog attacks in their areas.
Information
Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation banned 3 dog breeds
In an attempt to check the rising dog menace, the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation recently banned three pet dog breeds: Pittbull, Rottweiler, and Dogo Argentino. The ban came last week after it was found that these breeds were involved in most of the recent attacks.
Activists split
PETA sought ban on dogs kept for illegal fighting
To recall, in August, the world's largest animal rights organization—People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)—wrote to the Uttar Pradesh government seeking a ban on keeping, breeding, and selling dogs for illegal fighting. The appeal came after numerous dog attacks were reported in the state. Animal activists are, however, split over the ban on "aggressive" breeds, as many blame owners for such attacks.
Data
India vulnerable to dog menace
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 20,000 people die annually due to rabies in India. Moreover, India accounts for 36% of rabies deaths in the world. It also witnessed over 17L dog bite incidents in 2021 alone. As per the 2019 Livestock Census, there are around 1.6cr street dogs in India, and Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of strays.