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Feral dogs in India
The stray dog menace in Baheri tehsil has taken on a new dimension as the canines have now started targeting adults as well. Two women, aged 37 and 50, were reportedly mauled by dogs in separate incidents in the district on Tuesday.

According to reports, Reshamvati, 37, was attacked by a pack of ten dogs while she was collecting fodder in a field in Faizganj Kamthena village. She received injuries on stomach, legs and hands. Locals rushed to the spot after hearing her cries and rescued her. The villagers attacked the dogs with bamboo sticks and shooed them away. The woman has been admitted to community health centre (CHC) in Baheri where she is undergoing treatment.

In a similar incident, 50-year-old Heerakali, 50, was attacked by a pack in Nazarganj village when she had gone to the outskirts of the village for some work. However, with timely intervention of locals, the woman managed to escape with minor injuries. She is also being treated at a CHC.

The team set up by the district administration has not been able to trap these dogs, the district authorities are now claiming that it appears that a few mad dogs are also part of the pack which are attacking the locals.

Baheri sub-divisional magistrate Rameshwarnath Tiwari said, "We are sure that the dogs are stray and not wild, but it appears now that a few mad dogs are also part of the group which is mauling the locals." He added that the joint team of forest department and Nagar Palika are combing the forest to trap the dogs.

Meanwhile, members of All India Jan Sewa Committee, on Wednesday, submitted a memorandum to the divisional commissioner, demanding compensation for the families whose children were injured in stray dog attacks.

"The children who have been attacked belong to poor families and they are not in a position to bear the cost of treatment. The district administration has failed to tackle the dogs menace but at least they should provide compensation to the families for treatment on humanitarian grounds," said Nadeem Qureshi, All India Jan Sewa Committee president.

In the past 40 days, the pack of stray dogs have killed five children and injured at least 10 children. According to the district administration, the dogs are attacking locals living in nearly 20 villages situated in and around two rivers - Babul and Kicha.