The Telangana High Court has taken suo motu cognizance of the increasing number of stray dog attacks in the state, particularly in the GHMC area. This action follows a series of alarming incidents, including the recent death of a child in Isnapur and another attack on a child in Jawahar Nagar. On average, 70 people are bitten by stray dogs every day in Telangana, with media reports indicating that 15 fatalities have occurred in the past seven months due to such attacks.
In light of these incidents, the High Court has issued new orders to address the situation. During the proceedings, the court questioned the state government on the measures being implemented to prevent further attacks. The Advocate General reported that there are 3.79 lakh stray dogs in the GHMC area and that state-level committees have been established to tackle the issue. He noted that dog sterilization is being conducted at six centers in Hyderabad, with approximately 200 dogs being sterilized daily at each center.
The High Court, however, expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of sterilization alone in preventing attacks. The counsel for the Animal Welfare Association suggested that relocating stray dogs to shelter homes could be a viable solution, referencing the successful housing of around 90,000 dogs in a Nagpur shelter home. The court directed the members of the Animal Welfare Association to collaborate with the government committees to develop a comprehensive strategy to mitigate the problem.