Forget Strays, the Government Must First Keep its Human Citizens Safe

Acute Angle

- Anand Neelakantan

Three children have died in Kerala in the last month from rabies. All of them had taken anti-rabies vaccination, yet that didn't prevent their young lives from being snuffed out cruelly by the dreaded infection. India has 36 per cent of all rabies death cases in the world. India witnessed 22 lakh dog bite cases and over 5 lakh other animal bite cases, including monkey bite cases, and rabies claims an annual average of 21,000 deaths in India.

Around 20 per cent of the victims of stray animal bites are children, and they account for 30-60 per cent of deaths. The statistics paint a grim picture of vulnerability, particularly in rural areas with scarce medical facilities. Indian roads are free for all, a chaotic ecosystem where humans and animals compete for space. Cows, dogs, monkeys, goats, buffaloes, and many other stray animals roam around our streets, blocking traffic and causing many unreported accidents. These animals, often malnourished and territorial, create hazards not just through confrontation but also by causing vehicles to swerve suddenly or brake without warning. Rabies is just one of the problems in a long list of public health and safety concerns that plague India's streets, where zoonotic diseases and traffic accidents intertwine to form a dangerous cocktail of death and accidents.