Stray dog attacks 9 children in Kovai, under observation

COIMBATORE: Furore broke out in ward 84 as around 10 individuals including nine children were admitted to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) on Saturday night after sustaining injuries in a stray dog attack.  Residents alleged that despite many complaints Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) hasn’t taken action to deal with the stray dog menace.  

According to sources, on Saturday, a stray was seen chasing and biting as many as 10 individuals including nine children aged between 4 to 15 years in the Karumbukadai Nyaniyar street of ward 84.  All 10 of them were admitted to the CMCH on Saturday night. The civic body officials later caught the stray dog that bit the children.

R Alima Begum of SDPI, councillor of Ward 84 said, “We filed numerous petitions with the civic body, staged a protest and spoke about the issue multiple times during the council and zonal meetings. But the officials haven’t taken any actions yet.”

Collector Dr GS Sameeran and city police commissioner Balakrishnan visited the children at the hospital and promised to take necessary action. Speaking to TNIE, CCMC Deputy Commissioner Dr M Sharmila said, “We have formed a team consisting of veterinarians, CHO, ACHO and officials to conduct a special camp for this whole week, take a dog census and catch hold of the stray dogs in the area.”

Sharmila revealed that the stray dog which bit the children was caught by the officials and has been currently kept at the civic body’s animal facility in Ondipudur. “The doctors at the Ondipudur facility said that the dog will be kept in the centre for 10 to 15 days under observation and given behavioural treatment. Unfortunately, the rule states that we ought to release the stray dog in the same place where it was caught from. So it will be released at the same location later,” she added.