Stray menace: 8-year-old boy mauled by dogs in Virar West

There has been an uptick in dog bite cases at the Arnala beach

There has been an alarming increase in dog biting cases in the coastal area of Arnala in Virar West with the fisherfolk reeling under constant threat of stray canines. Couple of days ago, a pack of stray dogs attacked an eight-year-old boy who was out to play. Locals said there are around 10 such cases each day. The aggressive pack nearly half a dozen strays chased the boy, bit him all over his body and mauled his left ear. Hearing the screams, a group of youth rushed to help.

Ayush Kushwaha has sustained severe injuries. Pics/Hanif Patel

The incident

The boy, Ayush Kushwaha, told mid-day, "I had not done anything to the dogs… I was out to play in the evening of February 1 when the dogs attacked me.," The Std I student recalled, "I tried to scare them away but could not… They bit me and pulled my clothes." His mother Kiran said, "He was visibly terrified when he was brought back home. There are multiple grievous injuries all over his body."

Govt should take steps

Ayush was discharged from the hospital on Thursday. "We had to spend Rs 15,000 for his treatment…The government must do something to keep the dog population under control," added Kiran. The fishermen community said that every day there have been at least 10 cases of dog biting in Arnala but gram panchayat members are yet to visit them.

Gram Panchayat speaks

Mahendra Patil, deputy sarpanch of Arnala village, told mid-day, "I have spoken to District Health Officer Dr Dayanand Suryavanshi who told me to contact the Animal Husbandry Department. As animal husbandry officials have also raised their hands, I don't know what to do."