Street dogs bit two foreign sports coaches in New Delhi on Friday, October 3. The incident occurred at the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium, where Meiko Okumatsu from Japan and Dennis Maragia from Kenya were bit by street dogs while conducting a training session for their athletes at the warm-up track.
The coaches are in Delhi for the ongoing 12th World Para Athletic Championships. Both coaches were taken to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi and were given immediate medical care. They were then taken to their respective team hotels.
According to reports, Dennis, the Kenyan coach, was bit while he was speaking to one of his athletes outside the competition arena. The Japanese coach Meiko was bit when she was supervising the training of her athletes.
According to reports, the organising committee of the Para Athletics Championship said that a formal request was made to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to safeguard the JLN Stadium by removing street dogs from the venue. “Acting swiftly, the MCD cleared the premises well before the start of the championships, and dog-catching vehicles have been stationed at the stadium from day one to ensure constant vigilance and immediate response,” a report quoting the official statement said.
The organisers reportedly said that despite the precautionary measures, the challenge of individuals repeatedly feeding street dogs outside the venue has let dogs enter the premises.
Delhi’s street dogs had made national news after the Supreme Court recently issued a suo motu order asking authorities to move street dogs to shelters. Following this, protests broke out across India for the protection of animal rights. This led to a three-judge bench deciding that the dogs should be released after being vaccinated and sterilised. The bench stated that the order won't apply to dogs with rabies or those displaying aggressive behaviour. Public feeding of street dogs was also prohibited, according to the order.