Stray Dogs Menace in Visakhapatnam

Since the last few months, there is a gradual increase in the amount of stray dogs in the city of Vizag, increasing the number of accidents in the city due to them. Areas like Akkayapalem, Visalakshi Nagar, Seethamdara and Chinna Waltair have seen a sudden growth in the dogs on the street which causes a lot of problems. People have been complaining of the menace spread by the stray animals and different accidents have been recorded in different areas respectively.

Shivani Shastri, a resident of Akkayapalem says that, “Increased number of stray dogs create a lot of problems as they bark all night and disturb everybody’s sleep. We are not able to walk down the street as there is a danger of dogs chasing us. Last week an elderly man got bit in my area when he went for a morning walk. Situation is getting worse and GVMC should take actions to control the birth of stray animals.”

According to a report, the population of stray animals including cats and dogs have increased by 33% in the last two months. The rapid growth in the animal population living on the street is dangerous and causes problems to the civilians. Bites from non-vaccinated animals can prove to be fatal if correct medication is not provided and can spread infection and poison in our body. The problem of stray animals is prominent in India but some serious measures are required to bring this situation under control. India is a historic heritage and such street conditions degrade the image of our country.

Last month the famous health trainer, Josef Rakich visited India from New Zealand and was surprised to see cows roaming free on the street. He even took to his Snapchat, where a lot of people saw the street conditions of our country. The GVMC had previously taken up a mass sterilisation drive, but sterlisation does not seem to having the desired effect due to the large number of canines. There is a serious need for adaption of proper animal birth control measures, requiring coordination between the municipality and Animal Husbandry department.