canine attack
© Angela Antunes / CC by 2.0
A minor boy was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Rangasamuthiram village in Sankarankovil town of Tirunelveli district, the police said on Saturday. The dead body of the eight-year-old boy was buried on Friday. A case has been registered in relation to the case.

Eight-year-old Santhosh used to study at a school which is around 200 metres away from his house. He used to walk to school. In the evening, he used to walk back to the school to play. To reach faster, he used to cross the fields instead of taking the road.

On the day of the incident, Santhosh did not return even after 6 pm. Reportedly, his parents got worried and started searching for him with the help of other villagers. While looking for Santhosh in the fields, the villagers found a pack of stray dogs.

When they pointed their flashlights in the direction of the dogs, the villagers saw that they were biting Santhosh. Santhosh's father Sethupathi and the villagers then chased the dogs away. The villagers called a local doctor who said that the eight-year-old boy had died.


A police officer familiar with the case said that Santhosh had suffered excessive blood loss as he had been bitten on a vein in the neck.

This is not the first instance where an innocent has fallen prey to stray dogs. Similar incidents have surfaced from several other states in the past. To keep a check on dog menace, civic bodies in different cities have also drafted new departments that conduct the vaccination of canines. While this does not reduce the chances of an attack, it is helpful in ensuring that the victims of such attacks do not get rabies.

Child mauled to death by pack of dogs in Chandigarh

Another instance of stray dog menace came to light from Chandigarh this year where a one-and-a-half-year-old boy was attacked by a pack of stray dogs. The victim was identified as Ayush. He was playing in a park with his three siblings while his mother had gone to work. Ayush's mother used to work as domestic help.

The stray dogs caught hold of Ayush while his siblings managed to run away to safety. Locals called the police, following which, a police control room vehicle was sent to the area. Ayush was taken to the Government Multi-speciality hospital in Sector 16 but was declared brought dead.