4-Year-Old Dies Of Rabies In Karnataka, Stray Dog Menace Under Spotlight

The death of four-year-old in Davangere has reignited urgent debate over Karnataka’s handling of stray dogs and rabies control. Khadira Bhanu, mauled by a stray dog near her home on April 27, battled grievous injuries for months before developing rabies and passing away on August 19.

Her family, reeling from both grief and debt, said they spent nearly Rs 8 lakh on treatment despite limited means—her father a street vendor, her mother a homemaker, as per a report on India Today.

Initially, the couple rushed her to a local hospital. As her condition deteriorated, she was moved to the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH) in Bengaluru for advanced care, as reported by Hindustan Times. Although she initially showed signs of recovery, Khadeera developed a rare form of rabies known as “dumb rabies,” which causes paralysis instead of aggression. She became unresponsive and required emergency intubation before passing away in August 2025.

However, doctors at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, where she was admitted in Bengaluru, later clarified that medical expenses were far lower, suggesting that much of the spending went toward travel, accommodation and private consultations, as per Money Control.

Rising Attacks In Public Spaces

The menace is not confined to residential areas. Just last week, two college students—Sujanya GJ of Haveri and Rega Nikshitha of Telangana—were bitten by stray dogs inside the Jnanabharathi campus of Bengaluru University, reported One India. Both, enrolled in an Integrated MSc (Economics) at the Dr BR Ambedkar School of Economics, were hospitalised but are said to be out of danger. The incident has reignited concerns about student safety and the unchecked stray population in Bengaluru’s public spaces.

Meanwhile, on August 11, 2025, a bench headed by Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed that all stray dogs in the Delhi-NCR region be moved to shelters, beginning with facilities capable of housing 5,000 animals.

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