"Incident would have been fatal if children or elderly were involved": Stray dog attack victim Rajeshwari

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 23 : Rajeshwari, the victim of a stray dog attack who was fortunate enough to have dodged 15 pounding canines, shared the incident on Sunday evening and claimed that the local authorities have not been doing anything about the stray dog menace in the area, adding that the incident could have been deadly if it had involved children or the elderly.

Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Rajeshwari said, "I go for a morning walk every day. On that day, while I was walking between the 3rd and the 4th blocks, there were two dogs there. I saw them and walked away from them. But one of those dogs barked, and all the dogs started attacking me. I tried to scare them away as they rounded me up. I fell, and the dogs started attacking me. I got back up, meanwhile, a car and a boy on a scooter came this way. The dogs started seeing this and ran away."
"The watchman also came and scared them away. If it were a child or an old person, the incident could have been fatal. I have 2 pet dogs in my house. Thus I could handle the dogs. Around 15 dogs attacked me. Many people are suffering like this but no one is responding. When we restrict the dogs from entering the premises, some people put cases on us that we are not allowing to feed the dogs," said the victim.
Rajeshwari sustained injuries after being attacked by a pack of 15 stray dogs while on a morning walk in Hyderabad. The incident, which was recorded on CCTV, occurred on June 21.
The victim's husband, Badri, complained that many tenants feed strays inside the premises of their rented accommodation.
"I live at MIG flats, Chitrapuri colony, Manikonda. My wife goes for a morning walk every day at 6 am. On the morning of June 21, as she was walking, all the dogs attacked her. She tried to scare away the dogs but fell after some time," he said.
"She was only saved by God's grace. As this happened in the early morning, there was no one around," Badri said.
"There are many tenants who feed these dogs inside their premises. Earlier, when we tried to raise the issue, arguments broke out," he said."There are around 40 dogs here. We do not have any objection to pet dogs, as I myself own 2. But the 15-20 dogs that attacked my wife were street dogs," Badri added.
Stray dog attacks are considered a danger to children and old people. As per reports, India has the largest number of stray dogs in the world, along with the highest cases of rabies deaths. Most rabies deaths are unreported.
In compliance with the Animal Birth Control Rules of 2001, stray dogs may not be killed, only sterilised. Municipalities lack the money to sterilise stray dogs.
Most Indians believe that stray dog attacks are common in their area and that the municipality does not take the necessary steps to reduce dog bites.
Stray dogs may be rabid, hurt, hungry, traumatised, anxious, or protecting their puppies. In such cases, the canines may attack if provoked or feel threatened.