Stray dog attack claims boy's life, Tambaram residents live in fear
Reports from the area indicate that stray dogs enter homes and attack residents. This is in addition to a 13-year-old boy who died after a stray dog bit him;
So far, 303 stray dogs have been vaccinated and dewormed through these camps. (Illustration by Ritwikkh Roy)
CHENNAI: Pall of gloom and tension had gripped suburban Tambaram with stray dogs on an attacking spree. On Saturday, a Class 8 boy died due to dog bites, and a few more are now undergoing treatment due to stray dog attacks.
“Vishwa (13) of Padappai near Tambaram, a Class 8 student in a government school, was bitten by a stray dog on Monday evening while he was playing outside his house,” police said.
He was admitted to the primary health centre in the locality initially. “When his condition became critical, Vishwa was taken to the Sriperumbudur GH on Friday but he died without responding to treatment on Saturday morning,” he added. The Oragadam police have registered a case, and further inquiry is on.
In another incident on Thursday in Perungalathur, a stray dog entered a house in the morning and attacked a woman who was alone in the house. Upon hearing her cries, neighbours who rushed inside, rescued her and admitted her to a private hospital in the locality.
The same dog, along with two other dogs, attacked another man who was walking on the streets. These dogs have also entered several homes.
In the past few weeks, stray dog attacks have increased in Perungalathur, Selaiyur, Chromepet, Anagaputhur, Pammal, Hastinapuram, Chitlapakkam, and Mudichur. More than 10 people were injured in the past couple of weeks in the suburbs.
Mahendraboopathi, president, Perungalathur Welfare Association, said, “The Corporation had opened a Dog Contraception Centre in Perungalathur a few months ago for Rs 22 lakh but after the first few weeks when it was operational, it has remained closed. If officers had been diligent in their duties, stray dog menace would have been brought under control by now.”
When contacted, an official in the Tambaram Corporation said that the two dogs which entered inside the houses in Perungalathur were caught on the same day. “The reason the stray dog menace has increased is because the public is feeding them food mixed with chicken waste. This has adversely affected dog behaviour making it more aggressive. Due to the law, we can only perform the ABC and leave them at the place they were caught initially. Without the public support, we cannot bring the situation under control.”