Dogs inside Lucknow school again, civic body team nets 15

After a six-hour exercise, a two member cattle-catching squad of Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) — which was camping inside the school since morning — managed to catch them. Nine other stray dogs were caught outside the campus.

On Wednesday, six-year-old Anshuma Yadav had been attacked by stray dogs. She had suffered over a dozen bites and had been admitted in Emergency Ward of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital.

“She is recovering now,” said her father Arvind Yadav. “In the last 24 hours, she has not complained of any further problem. Doctors say she could be shifted from Emergency Ward tonight.”

Anshuma is okay now, said Dr A K Chawla, Chief Medical Superintendent, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital.

“The school authorities did not lodge any complaint even after yesterday’s incident,” said LMC Veterinary Officer Dr Sudhir Kumar.

“Following media reports, I sent a two-member team to the school to catch the dogs.” A week long drive against stray dogs has been started in and around the school from Thursday, he added.

School Principal Anita Talwar said: “The school opens at 7.30 am. But Anshuma’s guardian had left her around 6.45 am yesterday. She was alone in playground when some stray dogs attacked her.”

The dogs, she said, must have entered the campus either by scaling the rear boundary wall or by an entrance meant for the staff, she said. 

“Local vendors dump a lot of garbage around the boundary walls, which attracts dogs. I have verbally requested the LMC officials several times to remove the garbage,” she said.

Admitting that she had never filed any complaint about stray animals, the Principal said this was “the first time” stray dogs had entered the campus.

“I have ordered that the height of boundary walls be raised,” she said. “A guard will be deployed at the rear entrance to check the entry of stray dogs in future.”