Minor boy mauled by stray dog dies

LAHORE:

A six-year-old boy died after being bitten by a stray dog at the city's Yasmeen Park on Sunday.

The father of the boy said that his son, Bilal, was playing in the park when a stray dog bit him on the neck. The boy succumbed to the wound on the way to the hospital.

Lahore Commissioner took notice of the incident and sought a report on the matter from health CEO and Lahore chief corporation.

In May, municipal bodies as well as health and livestock departments decided to eliminate stray dogs amid rising cases of dog bite incidents across the province.

Letters were sent to the local bodies in order to bring the local government, health and livestock departments, and district administration together for the purpose.

The decision was made in order to protect the citizens in the province due to lack of coordination and clear demarcation of responsibilities while amending the laws.

Reportedly, the epidemiology department earlier functioned in the local bodies across Punjab including Lahore.

Instead of killing stray dogs, a sterilisation programme had been planned this time to prevent their breeding.

Responsibilities had been assigned to the local government department in this regard, which had started training on dog population management.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12^th, 2021.