Pune citizens raise concern over increasing stray dog attacks following death of Wagh Bakri ED
Pune : Stray dog issue raises concern for Amanora Park Town residents; Demand permanent solution( Image for representational purpose only)
By: Pune Pulse
October 24, 2023
Pune: Pune & Pimpri Chinchwad residents are concerned about the stray dog situation in Pune following the unexpected death of Parag Desai, 49, Executive Director of the Wagh Bakri Tea Group, who last week suffered brain hemorrhage after a fall while fending off stray dogs outside his apartment in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Parag Desai, Wagh Bakri scion dies after attack by street dogs –
Speaking to Pune Pulse, Prashant Homkar, a resident of Pimpri Chinchwad said, “Every animal has the right to live, roam around freely just like we do. Just one thing which can be done by the PCMC to avoid any untoward incident with anyone, citizens or animals, is to shift the stray dogs from one place to another, away from residential areas, where they can live peacefully.
Somebody who loses their life is very serious, whether it is a famous person or not. Hence, the administration & government must take appropriate action about this very seriously. Only the stray dogs’ living place & habitat must be changed so that the stray dogs can live safely & happily too.”
Raihan Shaikh, a resident of Kondhwa said, “The PMC says that stray dogs get vaccinated, however, we really don’t know if that is the case. In our society area, there are 5 to 6 stray dogs. Whenever the PMC checks the stray dogs, they say that these dogs are vaccinated. However, there is a unique number or a belt or a kind of identification for vaccinated dogs.
That can’t be seen. Even the sterilization process is not seen happening properly as a female stray dog in our area, regarding whom the PMC informed that she is sterilized, had given birth to several puppies. When someone passes or walks a bit nearby from the dogs, even if they don’t intend to do any harm to the dogs, the stray dogs bite them. Kids playing in the area also are feared due to such stray dogs. Hence, we have this real question of whether to walk from the area or not.”
Sachin Gayake, a resident of Bavdhan said, “Whenever my wife or my kids go out to walk or my kids go out for cycling, they get very much afraid as the stray dogs approach them viciously or run behind them. It creates a lot of issues. The PMC must take precautionary measures to either control their population or vaccinate them or any other resolution. Also, there are dog feeders etc.
There are always two sides of the coin. People feed them on a humanitarian basis which is perfectly fine & good. But, how can stray dogs’ nuisance be controlled? That is the challenge. Whenever I go for a walk on NDA road or any other place, I see that senior citizens walk very cautiously. We can easily heckle them or shoo them off but the real problem happens with senior citizens & kids.”
Vandana Chhatpar, an animal lover & resident of Wanowrie said, “The stray dogs do not bite others unnecessarily. The dogs can smell other people & they will go to only those people who love them & feed them. We are shocked to see the humiliation & hatred of stray dogs within our society. We cannot convince everyone about stray dogs.
We have sterilized all stray dogs here & handle all the stray dogs very affectionately. Stray dogs equally love us. But seeing the entire stray dog hatred scenario, we are very much surprised. People simply express their daily frustrations on stray dogs. The same situation is with stray cats. We just pray to save the stray animals from pain, abuse, torture etc.”
Amol Kasbe, a resident of Chandan Nagar said, “I go home from my work at around midnight. On the way, I encountered several stray dogs. Their population is increasing. The nature of biting anyone is prevalent among them. I have to protect myself everyday by heckling them as they approach very violently. I have seen 3 people bitten by stray dogs.
I had called the PMC to address this issue & seek appropriate resolution. But nothing has happened. Just recently, two dogs were running towards me aggressively & one was about to bite me even though I was just passing from the area without even paying attention towards them. So, the situation is terrible. Some action must be taken to ensure that both, people & animals, live peacefully & without any fear at any time. This issue is also leading to road accidents in which either people die or stray dogs die.”
