Baburao Ingawale, one of the victims said that he had come to Shahupuri for personal work (Representative Image). | Photo Credit: BCCL

Key Highlights A stray dog allegedly bit 31 persons in different areas of Kolhapur, Maharashtra Kolhapur Municipal Corporation has assured that they will catch the dog for sterilisation and vaccination as soon as possible

Kolhapur: Around 31 persons were attacked by a stray dog in Maharashtra's Kolhapur on Wednesday. Out of the 31 persons bitten, 21 are men, three are children and seven are women. The victims have been admitted to the Chhatrapati Pramila Raje (CPR) civil hospital. The incident took place on Wednesday in Venus Corner, Shahupuri, Phulewadi and Uttareshwar areas of Kolhapur.

Ajay Lokare, the Dean of CPR civil hospital said, "All the 31 patients were kept under observation for 24 hours and later released. All of them were treated with anti-rabies vaccine, serum and injections immediately after they were brought to the hospital." Lokare said that they had all the necessary medicines for the treatment of the victims.

Baburao Ingawale, a resident of Shiye and one of the 31 victims said that he had come to Shahupuri for personal work. When he was crossing the road, a pack of stray dogs came running towards him and a black dog from the pack bit him. Another man who was delivering milk to a house near Venus Corner also claimed that he had been bitten by a black dog.

Vijay Patil, the veterinary officer of the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation said that they dispatched a team of civic officials to catch the dog as soon as they were informed about the incident. He said that they tried to chase the dog but failed to catch it. Patil has assured that the civic body is trying to locate the dog and that they will vaccinate and sterilise the canine at the earliest.

He blamed the locals for the increasing number of stray dogs in the area. He said that the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation has established a dog shelter and three veterinary doctors have also been employed to keep a check on dog menace.

Patil said, "We have a team that catches 10 stray dogs daily. We sterilize and vaccinate the canines. We are controlling the dog population within the KMC limits. If the dog population in one area drops, dogs from other localities, mostly from villages and other peripheral areas, fill the vacuum."

Patil said that if the gram panchayats and municipal bodies put in joint efforts, they will be able to curb the dog menace in the area. He also said that by participating in the vaccination and sterilisation of the dogs, they will be able to control the population of dogs in Kolhapur.