Infant mauled to death by stray dog in Noida society. Why are dog attacks rising? What's being done?

In a tragic incident, a seven-month-old baby was mauled to death by a stray dog in Noida's Lotus Boulevard society in Sector 100 on Monday evening (October 17). 

Killer stray dog attack in #Noida society | 7-month-old dies after getting mauled | Massive anger in society, protests erupts | Here's what residents are demanding @Milan_reports @PoojaShali pic.twitter.com/OnBbsxeRL9

— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) October 18, 2022

The infant was admitted to the ICU at Noida's Yatharth Hospital where he underwent a surgery, but succumbed to the injuries on Tuesday morning (October 19). Media reports say that the toddler's intestine was pulled out by the street dog. 

What exactly happened? 

• On Monday evening at 4.30 pm, a stray dog attacked a child of a labourer who was doing construction work in the society. 
• IndiaToday reported that many residents who are dog lovers said that the 'kid provoked the dog', which seems a little illogical, given that the toddler was only seven-month-old. 

What now?

• The case is now under Noida's Sector 39 police station and an investigation is going on. 
• Angry residents of the society are demanding Noida Authority to take action in this matter. 
• The body of the child has been handed over to the parents and they have left for Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh, to perform the last rites. 

• The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Rajneesh Verma, said to PTI  that even though no complaints have been registered to catch the stray dogs, the police have alerted the concerned authorities to catch them.

Clash between dog lovers and other resident:

Sector 100, where this Lotus Boulevard society is located, is one of the poshest areas of Noida,Uttar Pradesh, and according to the residents that IndiaToday spoke to, allowing street dogs into the resident society has led to clash between dog lovers and other residents of the society.   

This is not the first case which has snowballed into a clash between the dog-lovers and others who demand the removal of stray dogs from such societies.  

There have been reports of several dog bite cases in various parts of India which has caused a situation of panic. Residents at many places have complained that no serious step has been taken by the authorities so far. 

Check out some twitter battle:

Other similar cases in India: 

A string of recent dog-biting cases has put pet owners in the firing line in housing societies and colonies. 

• On July 13, 2022, an 82-year-old retired teacher was mauled to death by her son's pet pitbull dog in the Kaiserbagh area of Lucknow.
• On September 7, 2022, A child was bitten inside a housing society lift even as the dog owner looked as a mute spectator in UP's Ghaziabad. 
• On September 9, 2022, an 11-year-old was attacked by a pitbull dog and had to get 150 stitches on his face. 
• On September 11, 2022, a Zomato delivery executive was attacked by a German Shepherd in a closed lift. 

Are such cases being reported mostly in India?

India is not alone in seeing such cases of dog bites. Research by the journal of Pediatrics shows that world is seeing a lot more cases of aggressive dogs and dog bites. Data shows that the US also sees loss of million of dollars due to dog-bites. The data also shows that children have the highest risk of getting bitten by dogs.

According to the data, in US, nearly 3,40, 000 cases of emergencies accounted for dog bites each year with more than 40% of the victims being children and adolescents.

Why do dogs bite humans? Experts believe that dogs are more likely to bite in circumstances of resource guarding (such as in protecting their property, toys, and food) or if they are ill, excited or frightened.

Is anything been done? As of now, no formal steps have been taken by the central government and only a few steps have been taken by some municipal corporations, for example:

• The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation has banned residents from keeping ferocious breeds of dogs as pets, such as Pitbulls, Rottweilers and Dogo Argentinos.
• Additionally, Ghaziabad has issued guidelines for pet owners.
• The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had on September 1, 2022, asked residents to get their pets registered in view of "rising incidents of dog bite".  

Steps you can take to avoid dog bites: