At least 12 people were injured on Friday after stray dogs attacked residents of Lingamguntla and Pedakurapadu, two villages in Andhra's Guntur district.

Most of the victims were reported to be agricultural labourers, who were rushed and treated at the Pedakurapadu Primary Health Centre (PHC).

Other reports added that the absence of dog sterilisation in the villages was the main reason behind the increase in the number of dogs.

Guntur has been plagued with stray dog attacks over the past year, as many victims are rushed to the Government General Hospital (GGH) every month.

According to reports, an investigation by the state's Health Department revealed that the GGH received 1,714 cases of dog bites in April, besides another 1,335 in March and 1,454 in February last year.

“The most effective method is to administer ARV to dogs. While people who own the dogs take care to administer ARV, it is not easy to administer the same to stray dogs as their handling should be done by the municipalities concerned," Joint Director, Animal Husbandry, Venkata Ramana told The Hindu.

Even Vizag district faced a severe stray dog menace last year, following the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) stated that it had taken up a mass sterilization drive.

However, questions have been raised over the GVMC's move, as several animal rights violations have surfaced.

In fact, Animal Welfare Board of India secretary M Ravi Kumar even wrote a letter to the GVMC commissioner last month, asking the corporation to stop the programme immediately.