MARGAO
Yet another woman fell victim to the stray dogs on the prowl at the Benaulim beach on Thursday morning, bringing to the fore the oft-repeated question on the safety of visitors along the beach belt.
When the domestic tourist along with her husband and child were taking a stroll on the beach, the woman was attacked by stray dogs. The lady rushed into the waters to save herself before her husband and other visitors came to her rescue, but not before she sustained three dog bites.
Fisherman Pele Fernandes informed that the domestic tourists had come to the beach from a starred hotel for a stroll. “I was on the beach, a little away when the incident occurred. After the lady tourist was attacked by the dogs, she ran into the water to save herself. We also rushed towards the spot to drive away the dogs,” Pele said.
With incidents of attacks by stray dogs on the beaches rising in the last few days, the Benaulim fisherman renewed his appeal to Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte to intervene and save the visitors from the strays.
“We have to take care of the visitors. These incidents, if they continue, will only bring a bad name for the beach belt. Tourists will not visit the beaches anymore,” Pele said while urging the government to come out with a solution to the menace of stray dogs.
Thursday’s incident is the latest stray dog attack on visitors at the Benaulim beach. Last week, a lady runner from Loutolim sustained around seven dog bites after she was attacked by strays while running on the beach with her friend. A Russian tourist was last month attacked by stray dogs at the beach, after which the tourist made a plea to the Tourism Minister to work out a solution.
Incidentally, when the Tourism Minster visited Colva last week to inaugurate the Spirit of Goa Festival, Khaunte was candid in admitting that stray dog menace is a serious issue plaguing the State and had mulled a comprehensive solution to the problem.
