In a heart-wrenching incident that has triggered grief and outrage, a four-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Swarna Bharathi Nagar, Guntur.
The child, identified as Isaac, was reportedly playing near his home when a group of stray dogs attacked him, biting him severely on the neck. Locals rushed to rescue the unconscious boy and immediately shifted him to a government hospital for treatment.
Tragically, despite the efforts of bystanders, Isaac succumbed to his injuries before receiving medical attention. Heartbroken family members and relatives were seen weeping inconsolably outside the hospital, leaving onlookers shocked by the horrific turn of events.
The incident has sparked public anger, with residents questioning the authorities’ failure to control the growing menace of stray dogs in urban areas.
Calls for stricter animal control measures and immediate government intervention are growing as the community mourns the untimely death of the young child.
In 2024, India reported nearly 27 lakh animal bite cases, including over 22 lakh dog bites and 5 lakh from other animals like monkeys, resulting in 48 deaths. Around 20% of the victims were children under 15. The data, shared by the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, highlights a major hurdle in achieving a rabies-free India by 2030. While animal control falls under state jurisdiction, central ministries are collaborating to address the issue. Measures include the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, and the National Action Plan for Dog-Mediated Rabies Elimination (NAPRE), with over 1.19 lakh health workers trained since 2019.
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