Two children were killed by feral dogs in Delhi at the weekend, their family say, reigniting a debate on the growing conflict between stray dogs and humans.
Anand, seven, and his five-year-old brother Aditya, who lived in a slum near the affluent neighbourhood of Vasant Kunj, were allegedly mauled to death by a pack of dogs in two separate incidents.
In both cases, the brothers went into the Sanjay Van forest to relieve themselves, before being attacked, their family said.
“We did not see the dogs attacking them but both of them had deep wounds from an animal attack … my nephew saw some dogs with blood on their mouth,” their mother Sushma told local media.
A police officer, who was investigating Anand’s death, reportedly heard the commotion and took Aditya to the nearest hospital where he was declared dead.
India has witnessed a number of similar incidents in recent weeks, sparking renewed debate on striking the right balance between protecting the rights of humans and animals — including dogs.
As per Indian law, street dogs cannot be beaten, killed, driven away or displaced.
A month-old baby was reportedly killed by stray dogs at a government-run hospital in Rajasthan’s Sirohi district earlier this month. The hospital's CCTV footage showed two dogs entering the ward and then emerging with the infant.
Two weeks ago, five-year-old Pradeep was killed in southern Hyderabad city after a pack attacked him. A surveillance camera captured the moment the child was walking down a street when three dogs ran at him.
“What are we doing? These sorts of incidents are increasing day by day," said Narsimha, a Twitter user. "Do we have any importance for children over stray dogs? Please take some action over this issue. Make it safe for children and senior citizens to walk alone.”
Another Twitter user said the municipality should be charged with criminal ignorance.
“The outbreak of stray dogs is spreading not only in Delhi but in the whole country. Hardly there will be any city where there are no stray dogs on the road,” Sanjay Verma wrote.
Karti P Chidambaram, a parliamentarian from southern Tamil Nadu, has demanded the federal government form a task force to find humane ways to deal with the "menace".
India is home to more than 62 million dogs, according to the State of Pet Homelessness Index, and reports 1.75 million cases of dog bites annually, as per the World Health Organisation.
The large stray population is seen as a public health concern as many dogs carry diseases such as rabies, with India leading the global list of rabies cases and some 20,000 deaths annually, according to the WHO.
Whether a rural or an urban setting, stray dogs are seen everywhere, living within human settlements, in large packs and feeding off rubbish and food left by animal lovers.
Experts blame their aggressive behaviour and attacks on humans on failed sterilisation programmes that are allowing the dog population to grow in the country.
India’s Animal Welfare Board has mandated municipalities across India to sterilise stray dogs to maintain and stabilise their population.
But the government said last year that municipalities had failed to implement the programme, leading to the overpopulation of dogs and triggering conflicts with humans.
“It is the duty of municipalities to run an effective dog sterilisation programme… getting dogs sterilised has been a requirement for 21 years — and if all municipalities had been taken this lawful duty seriously, there would hardly be any dogs on the road today,” Sachin Bangera, vice president of celebrity and public relations at PETA India, told The National.
Mr Bangera said sterilising just one female dog can prevent 67,000 births in six years, accounting for births spared also by dogs who would have been offspring.
“Sterilised dogs are also far less likely to bite because they aren’t fighting over mates or protecting puppies,” he said.
But it is not only the animals who attack humans. In trepidation of attacks, the dogs have also been assaulted by people.
A video from Noida, a satellite city outside Delhi, went viral last week, showing a dog being thrashed by two stick-wielding men.
Residents killed a stray dog in eastern Bihar state in January after it went on a biting spree and attacked more than 100 people.
There have also been incidents where acid was thrown at the canines after residents failed to shoo them away.
The Kerala government in September unsuccessfully petitioned the Supreme Court seeking the culling of violent and vicious stray dogs amid rising incidents of attacks.
Gaurav Sharma, a Delhi-based independent animal right activist, said that the government was unable to control the population as well as failed to provide shelters to keep dogs away from humans.
“The government should ideally provide a good facility where dogs can be kept, they can be sterilised and they get food and keep an eye on them,” he said.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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match info
Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
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500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight Championship AJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The biog
Name: Mohammed Imtiaz
From: Gujranwala, Pakistan
Arrived in the UAE: 1976
Favourite clothes to make: Suit
Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550
Tell Me Who I Am
Director: Ed Perkins
Stars: Alex and Marcus Lewis
Four stars
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
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Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Nightmare Alley'
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Rating: 3/5