Stray dog fatalities worry Dikchu

MANGAN, 15 Oct: There has been a rise in the number of dogs dying in and around Dikchu for the past couple of weeks. Street dogs as well as pets have been succumbing to some mysterious disease.
In Dikchu New Market, around 7 dogs have died so far while there have been deaths in Dikchu Old Market, Jang and Aapdara village in East Sikkim as well it is learnt.
According to locals, prior to the death, the dogs suffer from 5-6 days of illness during which time they seem to lose their appetite and cannot move around. This, one of the locals said, has been happening after the dogs were vaccinated against rabies less than a month ago. However, it is too early to say if it is because of this vaccination, he added.
Meanwhile, the public here are afraid that their children might get infected by this disease and have requested the concerned department to look into the matter.