Two kids injured, feral dogs move into new area

Two children were injured in fresh dog attacks in Sitapur, an official said today flagging fears that the animals may now be moving into new areas of the district.

Seven-year-old Abhishek was attacked by a pack of dogs in Machreta block, while Geeta (9) was injured in the worst-hit Khairabad area, where six children have died this month in similar attacks.

Twelve children have been killed by dogs in Sitapur since last November, District Magistrate Sheetal Verma said.

The attacks have generated such fear that school attendance has dipped, the police conduct patrols and men go to work in their orchards and fields armed with rods and axes.

Verma said the latest case in Machreta block indicated that the dogs have now crossed the river and reached new areas from Khairabad.

She said the safety of local people was the administration's top priority. "We are taking attacks by feral dogs very seriously," she added.

The area under the threat of dogs is also under drone camera surveillance, she said.

So far, 42 dogs have been sent for sterilisation to Lucknow, she said.

Teams from WWF and Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, have collected samples like pug marks, bite-marks and post-mortem reports from the district in recent days.

IVRI director R K Singh said the dogs used to feed on scraps from the slaughterhouses in surrounding areas, but were not getting their regular diet now.

The state government has been shutting down illegal abattoirs over the past several months.

Dinesh Chandra Chaubey, who headed the IVRI team, said detailed tests will be conducted in Hyderabad on samples collected from dogs killed by angry villagers. The report will be available in 15 days.

The tests will reveal if these are common dogs or a cross between them and hyenas or wolves, he added.

Sitapur's District Inspector of Schools, Devki Singh, said schools in Khairabad have seen a big dip in attendance since May 1. Parents have been issued directions that adults should accompany children to and from school.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath on Sunday directed officials to ensure that such incidents do not occur again.

"Effective action should be taken by forming joint teams comprising officials of the police department, animal health department, nagar palika and nagar panchayat," he said in a statement.

He also directed that teams should be formed in the affected villages to monitor the situation and provide security to children.

UP minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who visited the area on Saturday, said financial aid would be provided to the affected families. Every community health centre in the area will be stocked with anti-rabies vaccine, she assured.

On May 1, three children were mauled to death by dogs in villages of Khairabad area after which the district administration called in a team from Mathura to catch the animals, officials said.

On May 4, two more children were mauled to death.

Veterinarian Anoop Gautam said dogs tend to become more violent when there is a shortage of food. There is also a chance that some nomads may have set their dogs free, he said.