J&K: Stray dogs kill 14 sheep in Ganderbal cowshed

Srinagar: A herd of dogs prowled into a cowshed on Tuesday and killed 14 sheep and left 13 others with severe bites in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district late last night.

A pack of stray dogs attacked and killed a herd of 14 sheep which were kept in a cow shed in Sarfaraw area of Ganderbal district.

Police confirmed the incident and said that a group of stray dogs barged into the cow shed of one Mubarak Ahmad Raina at Sarfaraw about 20 km from Ganderbal and mauled to death 14 sheep and left another 13 critically injured with bites.

About 27 sheep were present in the shed at the time of attack that took place during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

The Sheep Husbandry Department officials were informed who are providing treatment to the injured sheep at a nearby veterinary centre.

Stray dog menace has become a cause of concern for the people all across the Kashmir valley due to their increasing number. On April 30 about 39 people including a dozen of tourists were bitten by stray dogs at Boulevard road on the bank of Dal Lake in Dalgate area of Srinagar.

According to Doctors Association of Kashmir (DAK) President Dr Nisar Ul Hassan in the last 10 years, 58,000 people have been bitten by stray dogs in the valley.

Every year 4 to 5 thousand dog bite cases are being reported in Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, he said. Some of the victims have died of rabies as unvaccinated stray dogs are a potential source for the fatal disease, he said.

He said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has suggested that the dog sterilisation programme would be successful only when carried out on fast track mode and adding the WHO standards recommend that around 70 per cent of dogs should be sterilised within three months of start of the process to reduce the risk. (UNI)