Karjat Stray Dog Attack: Rescuers Deny Rabies Claims, Say Animal Under Observation After Injuring Several Including Child

A day after an aggressive stray dog injured several people, including a six-year-old child, in Karjat’s Mahavir Peth area, animal rescuers associated with the shelter “Probably Paradise” and NGO World For All have clarified that there is no confirmation that the animal is rabid and said the dog is currently under observation after being rescued by their team.

Incident details & victims

The incident on Sunday morning had created panic in the busy market area after the stray dog attacked multiple pedestrians. Among the injured was six-year-old Shiv Paresh Shirke from Sandshi village, who was bitten near Padmavati Jewellers. Several others, including Deepak Thakur (30) from Bhisegaon and Ranjanlal Gupta (40) from Neral, also sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment.

However, Roxanne Davur, owner of Probably Paradise Shelter, said media reports describing the animal as “rabid” were premature and medically inaccurate.

Dog's behaviour since rescue

“There is absolutely no confirmation of rabies, which cannot be established until the animal is dead and tested. The dog is alive, under observation, and currently with us and World For All,” Davur said.

She added that while the dog appeared highly aggressive and bad-tempered at the time of the incident, it has been eating and drinking normally since being rescued.

“The dog is bad tempered but is eating and drinking normally. Our staff caught the dog and ensured it was safely secured,” she said.

Late-night rescue coordination

The Karjat Municipal Council has meanwhile been alleged to have shown little interest in the matter, “leave alone undertaking any rescue operation”, according to the rescuers involved.

Davur also criticised the functioning of the local Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme and questioned why established animal welfare organisations were allegedly being overlooked.

“Even the ABC programme has been given to some unknown NGO who are neither visible on the ground nor seem to be doing any work. An established NGO is being ignored,” she alleged.

According to Davur, her team received a call regarding the incident late night and a coordinated efforts was undertaken to capture the animal safely.

She urged reporters and officials to personally visit the shelter and verify the condition of the dog instead of circulating unconfirmed claims.

“Please insist that the reporter visit us as soon as possible and see the animal firsthand before labelling it rabid,” she said.

Residents in Karjat have meanwhile demanded stronger stray animal management measures and better coordination between civic authorities and recognised animal welfare groups to prevent such incidents in future.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/