Another canine attack: Feral dogs injure girl, kill three goats

Amidst high alert and extensive combing by district administration and forest officials to trap feral dogs, an-eight-year-old girl, Sahreen, was severely injured in an attack by a pack of feral dogs in Bihariganj village bordering Khairabad and Talgaon areas of Sitapur.

Dog attacks in Sitapur district have claimed lives of at least 13 children since November last year and seven of these killings have been reported since May 1.

The incident occurred when the girl, her father Yakub Ali and some villagers had gone to irrigate a field around 7pm. The victim was standing at some distance from the others when she was attacked by a pack of feral dogs, said Awadesh Kumar, senior sub-inspector, Sitapur kotwali.

The girl was rescued as villagers came running after hearing her screams. She was rushed her to the Sitapur district hospital, he said.

The pack of feral dogs fled towards Kamlapur when chased by a group of villagers. A combined team of forest, district administration and police started combing in the area to track the ‘attacker dogs’, he added.

Earlier, a pack of feral dogs was also spotted near the house of one Gajraj Rajvanshi in Peerpur village of Talgaon area when a group of villagers were working in their farming field around 12.30 am on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

“The dogs fled towards the jungle area when a group of villagers chased them. We chased them for around one kilometre but were unable to catch them,” said Sita Ram Rajvanshi, a local.

Meanwhile, feral dogs killed three goats in Mishrapur village of Khairabad on Monday evening. Sachin Kumar Singh, inspector of Khairabad police station, said a police team rushed to the spot after getting information about the presence of feral dogs but failed to trap them.

Canine menace continues in Sitapur district despite the deployment of government officials (from lekhpal to sub divisional magistrates) to check such incidents.

Apart from the 22 villages most affected by dog attacks, district officials marked 26 other villages for their operation where sightings of feral dogs were reported.

LEOPARD SCARE ALSO?

Villagers had another reason to worry after they got information about the presence of a leopard in Mahmoodabad area of Sitapur district.

The leopard allegedly attacked two villagers near Beni Madhavpur village of Mahmoodabad on Monday, but divisional forest officer Aniruddh Pandey said the presence of leopard was yet not confirmed.

He said a team of forest department was sent to examine pugmarks and interact with villagers.