The killing by stray dogs has recently been featured in the press. Nowadays we frequently hear about instances where street dogs attack people, particularly children. In the Sirohi District of Rajasthan, a one-month-old infant was cruelly attacked by a stray dog who took him from the government hospital while he was lying on the ground with his mother. The incident was captured on CCTV video. The most recent instance of a catastrophe that occurs with horrific regularity in villages and cities all over India. 

The baby's father said the mother woke up to find dogs mauling her child, and CCTV video showed canines entering the premises in the middle of night, despite Sirohi police reporting that the baby's corpse was discovered outside the ward. 

Who is responsible? What causes stray canines to be so aggressive and violent?

Three weeks have passed since the incident in Pune, where a group of stray dogs attacked a 7-year-old boy from the Brahma Suncity Society while he was playing with his grandpa.

What can be done to keep the menace in check? 

In the 2007 case All India Animal Welfare Welfare Association and others VS. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the Bombay High Court's complete panel issued a directive prohibiting feeding stray dogs in public areas. In a warning to all animal lovers, Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court ruled all city authorities that feeding of stary dogs shall not be done at any public place except animal activists own homes. 

"Since territories are not left vacant, new dogs cannot enter. Over time, as the dogs die natural deaths, their numbers dwindle. The dog population becomes stable, non-breeding, non-aggressive and rabies-free, and it gradually decreases over time. Sterilising just one female dog can prevent thousands of births by her and her offspring and theri offspring, and so on." - The Spokesperson

Sterilization and immunization are the only long-term solutions to the problem. Additionally, it suggests the creation of monitoring groups that will implement measures to control the number of stray animals in a region through animal birth control programmes.

Nine days after a four-year-old Hyderabad child was dragged by a group of stray dogs in a deserted street, the discussion surrounding stray dogs was once again front and centered. CCTV video was also present there. As dogs excited the frame of the chilling video, the last moments of the child, who sustained serious injuries in the attack and was declared dead in hospital, were circulated extensively on social media platforms. 

"A free roaming dog is always a threat, more so yo small children who can't defend themselves. Either that or remove all stray dogs from residential areas, put them in segregated uninhabited areas where dog lovers can go and feed or care for them." - Surekha Tripathi