Animal birth control centre to combat rising dog bites
Authorities are setting up an animal birth control centre on an acre of vacant land of the Patiala Municipal Corporation near Ghalori Gate. Mayor Kundan Gogia, along with Compassion for Animal Welfare Association’s founder Rahul Bansal and director Prapti Bajaj, recently visited the site.
Bajaj said that the current animal birth control programme, which operated at a shelter near Government Polytechnic, had been abandoned for the past six months due to a lack of essential facilities such as electricity and water.
In 2024, over 21,000 dog bite cases were reported in the district. Gogia said plans are underway to create a shelter similar to one in Chandigarh, which will focus on large-scale dog sterilisation. The shelter will include a dog kennel, operation theatre, preparation room and post-operative care facilities. Stray dogs will also be treated at the centre, with rabies vaccinations being part of the programme.
According to Prapti Bajaj, there are approximately 26,000 stray dogs in the 60 wards of Patiala city, meaning each ward has around 435 stray dogs. Bajaj, who runs animal birth control programmes in 14 districts of Kerala, also mentioned that the Patiala authorities have allocated Rs 1,205 for the vasectomy of each dog.
Statistics show a disturbing surge in both the stray dog population and dog bite incidents in the district. Data from the Health Department reveals a significant increase in dog bite cases, from 13,000 in 2022 to an estimated 16,000 in 2023. However, apart from the Municipal Corporation area, no other animal birth control programmes are being implemented to control the growing stray dog population in the district.
In 2024, Punjab recorded over 2,00,000 dog bite cases, with Ludhiana being the worst affected city. Patiala ranked second, followed by SAS Nagar. According to a report of the state Health and Family Welfare Department, a total of 2,13,521 dog bite cases were reported in 2024, showing an increase of over 11,000 cases compared to 2023.
On January 19, a nine-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Dhingi village of Nabha. Ram, a migrant labourer, and his family were working in the fields when the boy was attacked by nearly ten stray dogs.
