Stray dog mauls six-year-old child in Nochikuppam in latest incident in Chennai

CHENNAI: In yet another stray dog attack incident reported in the city, a six-year-old boy was mauled by a dog in Mylapore on Monday, leaving him with severe injuries on his face and shoulder.

The child was rushed to Government Children's Hospital in Egmore where he was administered rabies shot, while the dog is under observation at a shelter.

According to officials, Sai Eswaran (6) of Nochikuppam in Mylapore was feeding the stray dogs in the area when a dog suddenly grew aggressive and mauled him. The boy suffered injuries on his face and shoulder in the attack and screamed in pain. Hearing his cries, Sai Eswaran mother came rushing to his aid and after rescuing him, she and others immediately took the boy to the government hospital.

A senior official from the Greater Chennai Corporation said the boy was out of danger. The doctors at the hospital administered anti-rabies vaccination, while the corporation workers caught the stray dog and took it to a shelter maintained by the civic body where it is under observation to see if there is any change in its behaviour to indicate rabies infection.

This is the fourth dog attack reported in the city in the last two weeks, which involved both pet dogs and strays. Fuming over the repeated attacks, residents blamed the civic authorities for allegedly being lethargic in handling the stray attack incidents, and contended that sterilisation and vaccination were not enough to handle the menace.

Following the rise in cases, the corporation commenced a survey on stray dog population and the process for route mapping of 200 wards is ongoing along with stakeholders. The number of stray dog populations is expected to be more than two lakh.