Thiruvananthapuram: In a shocking incident, two street dogs went on a biting spree along a 9.5 km stretch in the state capital, leaving around 30 people injured. The incident occurred on Saturday evening, and the City Corporation’s dog catcher squad captured one dog during the early hours of Sunday. The search for the other dog is ongoing.

The two dogs attacked people starting at Karakkamandapam, near Nemom, at 4 pm on Saturday, biting everyone they encountered as they moved along Pappanamcode, Kainam Azhankal, and Maruthoorkadavu bridge.

The dogs then continued towards Vellayani, Iranimuttom, Karamana, Ayurveda College, and Pattoor, inflicting bites on anybody who crossed their path. They were also reported seen near the Secretariat and Vanchiyoor. One of the dogs was eventually captured near Attukal Bund Road.

Victims suffer serious injuries
Among the people who received bites, 14 sought treatment at Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram and four injuries were reportedly serious. One of the victims, Nirmala from Karakulam suffered such severe bites that the bone in her leg was exposed.

Another victim, Gopakumar of Kaimanam, was bitten as soon as he stepped out of his house to buy provisions. Ramya, a City Corporation employee, suffered a bite while walking home to her house from a bus stop at Pappanamcode. She was chased by the dog for some distance before the attack. Everyone who sought treatment at the Medical College was given the anti-rabies vaccine on Sunday.

Rabies suspected
Meanwhile, the captured dog is now observed at the Veterinary Hospital in Pettah as it is suspected of being afflicted with rabies. “If rabies virus is present in the dog’s body, the animal will die within ten days,” said a veterinary doctor at the hospital.

“In case the dog dies, an autopsy will be conducted at the State Institute of Animal Diseases (SIAD) at Palode, and laboratory tests will be carried out to confirm rabies,” the veterinarian added. Even though the captured dog is showing some symptoms of rabies, such as keeping its mouth open and salivating, normal dogs often also resort to this practice to regulate their body temperature to escape from the hot weather, the vet said.

Fourth biting-spree
The following are the four recent incidents of street dogs biting several persons on a single day in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city:
January 8, 2021: Around ten people received bites from a street dog around the Secretariat.
July 2021: Seven people were bitten by several dogs on Chengalchoola – Press Road, near Secretariat.
In 2023, 12 people were bitten by a street dog along several km from Infosys – Pullukad Road at Kulathur to College of Engineering, Trivandrum (CET).
The latest incident occurred on Saturday when around 30 people received bites.

Sterilisation programme stalled
The BJP and the Congress alleged that the City Corporation’s programmes against street dogs had failed. In fact, the project to sterilise street dogs has almost come to a standstill owing to a lack of adequate infrastructure and paucity of funds. Currently, sterilisation is taking place in the district only at the Veterinary Hospital, Pettah and the veterinary hospital at Vandithadam, Thiruvallam.

Incidentally, the majority of the local bodies in the district – which has one City Corporation, four municipalities and 73 panchayats – do not allocate any funds for the ABC (Animal Birth Control) programme. Apart from infrastructural shortcomings and a squeeze in funds, staff shortage is also hampering the project in many places.

Yet another cause for the proliferation of street dogs is the easy availability of food, thanks to the widespread dumping of slaughterhouse waste in public places. Some volunteers also regularly feed street dogs, further aggravating the crisis.

Even though the City Corporation had announced an awareness drive among these volunteers to stop this practice, nothing happened. Other programmes, such as a scheme to adopt puppies of street dogs, also reached nowhere.

Street dog dies
In a related incident, another street dog that bit six persons, including a five-year-old child, at Puliyoor in Nandiyode, died on Sunday. Its carcass was shifted to the Chief Disease Investigation Office at Palode, and the result of the tests for rabies is expected on Tuesday. Apart from humans, this dog had bitten several other street dogs in the area, following which volunteers of Mission Rabies vaccinated these dogs.

Dogs facts (as per official statistics)
Street dog population in Kerala: 2,89,986.
In Thiruvananthapuram district: 47,829.
In the City Corporation area: 8,679.
Number of vaccinated street dogs (In 2023): 4,567.
Sterilised dogs: 1,185
Number of vaccinated pet dogs: 48,839.