Writhing in pain and still terror struck, 20-month-old Siva Shanker Reddy clings to his mother. The very sight of a stranger unnerves him.
This is the trauma he continues to undergo in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a private hospital in L.B. Nagar ever since a pack of stray dogs attacked him on Saturday afternoon. It all happened when Siva Shanker was playing in front of his house at Saraswati Nagar near Chintala Kunta checkpost.
Suddenly a dog charged towards him from the street corner, followed by a pack of four stray dogs. Even as he was trying to rush into the house, the dogs attacked him and dragged him to over 10 metres, says Lahari Reddy, his mother.
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“The dogs bit him on his thighs, ears and behind the skull. The wounds are deep and he can’t bear the pain anymore,” says Ms. Reddy, breaking down.
Her boy usually avoids playing in the crowded colony street, but Saturday being a half-day holiday, it was empty, emboldening him to come out into the street.
She also alleged that repeated complaints by the residents to GHMC about the stray dog menace was ignored.
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The municipal veterinary wing, however, claims that two dog-catching teams were sent to the colony.
“There can be many reasons for dog attacks. The problem is, after catching the strays we can neither dump them elsewhere or kill them. Sterilisation helps in controlling the population but it does not guarantee stoppage of attacks,” says a senior official.
Condition stable
Meanwhile, doctors attending on Siva Shanker said his condition was stable, but he has to be kept under observation for another 24 hours, according to Sudhakar Reddy, his uncle.