Pindi launches dog culling after bite surge

The district government has culled 52 stray and rabid dogs in the city and cantonment areas of Rawalpindi in the last 24 hours.

Following a surge in the incidents of stray and rabid dogs biting people across the city, Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema issued strict orders to begin a city-wide dog culling operation with a week deadline.

In the past week alone, 64 cases of dog bites have been reported across various parts of the city, with four to five cases reported daily in local hospitals. In response, the Civil Defence Department has formed teams, led by uniformed volunteers, along with members of municipal corporations and committees. The police are also involved in responding to public reports of stray and rabid dogs in various areas.

With the launch of this campaign, the District Officer of Civil Defence has issued a warning to the residents to put leashes on their pet dogs immediately. Any dog found without a leash will be culled, it is further warned.

Within the first 24 hours of the operation, 52 dogs have been killed in areas including Dhoke Haso, Dhoke Ratta, Hazara Colony, Ratta Amral, Fauj Colony, and Pirwadhai.

Action will be extended to Saddiqabad, Muslim Town, Chah Sultan, Dhoke Khaba, and Dhoke Ilahi Bakhsh from today (Thursday). The culling process is being carried out not through shooting, but by lacing meat with poison. Dogs ingesting the poisoned meat die within 10-15 minutes.

Additionally, the DC has raised serious concerns over the shortage of anti-rabies vaccines and injections in government hospitals. These vaccines and injections are completely unavailable in the three tehsils of the district -- Gujar Khan, Kahuta, and Kallar Syedan -- where most dog bite incidents have occurred.

Even at Rawalpindi's Holy Family Hospital and Benazir Bhutto General Hospital, citizens have reported that they could not find the necessary injections and had to purchase them from open markets. Currently, only the District Headquarters Hospital in Rawalpindi has the vaccines in stock. The DC has ordered all hospitals to procure the vaccines immediately.

Interestingly, municipal corporations and committees in Rawalpindi lack the required drugs for the culling operation. The poison is currently being sourced from Hattar Industrial Estate after complaints arose.

Meanwhile, Citizen Action Committee Chairman Malik Zahir Awan highlights dog bite incidents have also been reported near Glass Factory Chowk in Chah Sultan, but there has been no immediate response from hospitals.

Faisal Rashid, a local, recalls his nephew was bitten by a dog and when he was rushed to a hospital, the required injection was not available. The family had to outsource the injection from the open market.

Calling it injustice, he urged the government to provide vaccines and injections for dog and snake bites in all public hospitals without any delay.

Dog bite incidents have been most prevalent in major city areas, with children and women being the primary victims, as the dogs attack suddenly, leaving the victims little time to react. Furthermore, the Rawalpindi DC has instructed the field formations to eliminate all stray dogs next week.