E-Paper
Stray dog that killed elderly woman in Thrissur had rabies
Post-mortem examination conducted on Friday of the stray dog that allegedly fatally attacked an 84-year-old bedridden woman in Kerala’s Thrissur district has revealed that it was rabies-infected, police said
Post-mortem examination conducted on Friday of the stray dog that allegedly fatally attacked an 84-year-old bedridden woman in Kerala’s Thrissur district has revealed that it was rabies-infected, police said.
The elderly woman was killed and her 60-year-old differently-abled son was grievously injured in a stray dog attack at their home in Vellarakkad near Erumapetty on Thursday.
According to police, the dog was later caught and beaten to death by the locals later that night.The dog’s carcass was examined by veterinarians, after which it was confirmed that the animal was rabies-infected, police said.
Police said that apart from the woman and her son, the dog also attacked three people in the vicinity, and three other dogs.
Meanwhile, Erumapetty police said they have registered a case of unnatural death in connection with the incident on Friday. Postmortem examination also confirmed that the woman’s death occurred due to the bite of a stray dog on her neck.Her body was handed over to relatives after the postmortem, police said, adding that her son was discharged from the hospital on Friday morning.
The elderly woman was attacked by the stray dog which managed to enter her tile-roofed single storey-home around 6pm on Thursday, former panchayat ward member Abhilash said.
“One of her three sons, who lived nearby, discovered her in an extremely bad condition where her face was completely disfigured in the stray dog attack. She succumbed to injuries before being ferried to the hospital,” said the former ward member, adding that the dog also bit a wiring labourer who has also been hospitalised.
“Stray dog attacks are a regular feature here in Kadangode panchayat. Government officials have done nothing to stop the menace. There are at least 500 dogs on the roads within the panchayat. At least 100 people have been bitten in the last five years,” he added.
The panchayat officials and locals have written numerous complaints to the district collector regarding the threat of stray dogs, he pointed out, but there has been no effective response.
