MYSURU: Stray horses abandoned by their owners are fast becoming a menace to traffic and commuters. The city corporation argues that there are far fewer horses roaming the streets than cattle but as 30-year-old Harish found out, just one rogue horse was enough to cause harm.Harish, a marketing executive , was bitten by a stray horse near Mysuru Law Courts on Thursday. He was weaving his bike through the traffic on a work assignment at 3.30pm when he came across two horses fighting with each other. The horses were moving around menacingly, knocking their heads together, when Harish slowed down to let one of them pass. Instead, the horse turned and lunged at him and bit him in the right shoulder. A dumbstruck Harish did not react for a few seconds and the horse clamped its jaws. He then vigorously shook his hand to free himself.“I was shocked when the horse held my hand in its mouth but I managed to get it released and jumped to safety. Luckily, I didn’t fall from the bike otherwise it would have been another tragedy,” said Harish. His friend, who too was riding a bike, moved ahead and did not notice that Harish had fallen behind. He then took Harish to hospital.But another shock awaited Harish at the Krishnamurthypuram Primary Health Centre as he arrived writhing in pain. The doctors suggested he get an anti-rabies vaccine (ARV). He was given a tetanus injection and painkillers and referred to the government-run Krishnarajendra Hospital.PHC medical officer Suvarna said she had come across a horse bite for the first time. “We advised him to get ARV as precaution. It is the only treatment available for bites by dogs, horses, cats, monkeys, rats and squirrels,” she said.Elephant electrocutedA 45-year-old makhna (tuskless male elephant) was electrocuted after it touched an illegally built electric fence around a field near Thattaguppe village, Kaggalipura, on Bengaluru’s outskirts on Friday. Landowner Prabhu Kumar, who is absconding, has been booked under Wildlife Protection Act and Electricity Act.Kaggalipura range forest officer Varun Kumar said, “We suspect the makhna ventured out of Bannerghatta National Park in search of food. While trying to enter the field, it came in contact with the wire. The land owner might have installed the fencing to restrict entry of wild boars, but no permission was taken,” he added.

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