Bhubaneswar: Following the death of a five-year-old boy after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs in Hyderabad, Animal Resources Development Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain has directed chief district veterinary officers (CDVOs) to remove all stray dogs from the streets in Odisha.
“Seeing this horrifying incident at Hyderabad, I have directed respective CDVOs to be strictly vigilant and remove stray dogs from roads. CDVOs have also been instructed to take immediate and proper action regarding this,” the minister tweeted on Wednesday.
With 17.34 lakh canines, Odisha has the country’s second highest number of stray dogs after Uttar Pradesh (20.59 lakh). The state saw 57,354 dog bite cases till November 30 last year while it was a whopping 1,55,031 and 1,77,474 in 2020 and 2021 respectively, according to reports
Last year, a stray dog attacked more than 30 people at Pathan Mahala in Balasore district. This came days after a pet dog was sent to an animal shelter after he bit and badly injured an 8-year-old boy in Bhubaneshwar.
Notably, Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme was streamlined in November last year in areas under the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation through a Maharashtra-based private agency, but it is almost non-existent in Cuttack and other urban areas of the state.
