Incidence of dog bite is fast increasing in the union territory of Ladakh where 232 cases have been recorded in the past 38 days in the Leh hospital.

Lt Governor of Ladakh, RK Mathur and top officers of the UT administration have held several meetings to tackle the menace of feral dogs, but nothing positive has so far emerged on the ground. Residents of the cold desert region continue to face the growing problem of stray dogs.

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In a high level meeting on the issue in Leh, Dr. Nurzin Angmo, chief medical officer said that during 2022, a total of 2000 dog bite cases were registered at the Leh hospital. The number of dog bite cases so far during the current year was 232.

Dr Tsewang Dorjey, Technical Officer, department of animal and sheep husbandry said a total of 22,145 stray dogs have been sterilized since 2013.

Feral dogs have also become a threat to rare local and migratory ground-nesting birds particularly in the Changthang area. Inability to tackle this problem may lead to severe endangering of critical bird and mammalian species.

The menace of stray dogs has been a constant and rising concern in Ladakh despite various initiatives implemented and underway since the past years.

In this regard, secretary Ravinder Kumar had called a meeting with all stakeholders to discuss and develop means and measures for tackling the menace that has become a threat to life.

Ravinder asked all concerned Departments viz department of animal/sheep husbandry and fisheries, municipal cooperation, wildlife department and concerned NGOs to work in a coordinated manner and develop an action plan to deal with the issue.

He directed MC Leh to set up an exclusive team of stray dog catchers while ensuring that they are provided with proper gears, equipment and ensure their vaccination for their safety. Further, Ravinder directed MC Leh to mobilize the registration, vaccination and sterilization of pet dogs as well.

Food waste management in MC areas and streamlining food waste in army cantonments post discussions with the Army was also deliberated at length, further stressing on spreading awareness as part of the MCs Tsangda project.

Detailed deliberations were also held on controlling feral dogs causing uncountable loss to livestock as well as wildlife. Secretary Ravinder ordered a dog census and assured the required financial support for implementing the plan of action. He also stressed on the need to involve the villages and local communities in the endeavor.

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