4-year-old Boy Mauled to Death by Stray Dogs: What Makes Canines Attack Humans? Explained

In a distressing incident that sent shock waves across Telangana, a four-year-old child was mauled to death by stray dogs here, prompting strong public reactions as some even described the menace as ‘terror’. While a video of the child falling prey to the canines has gone viral, Telangana Minister K T Rama Rao termed the incident “unfortunate” and said he was “pained” over the episode while the city civic body assured of steps to prevent recurrence of such attacks.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, who also termed the incident as unfortunate, told reporters that there is no negligence on the part of GHMC, adding the civic body is taking all precautions. Asked about the reasons for the dogs to attack the child, the Mayor said it was not exactly clear but citing preliminary information she said an elderly woman had been regularly feeding meat to four dogs in that area.

“She (the elderly woman) was not to be seen there for the past two days. The dogs got used to (eating) meat. It was suspected that the dogs might have been hungry and apparently due to hunger or some other reason they got ferocious and attacked the boy.” Many people took to social media and said stray dog attacks have become a menace in many cities and and urged the government to immediately put an end to the issue here.

In the video clip that has gone viral, the canines are seen suddenly attacking the boy while tailing him, following which he falls down. He was walking alone. The unrelenting pack of strays keep mauling him even as there was nobody in sight that could come to his rescue. The child was apparently carrying a packet containing some food item when the dogs pounced on him, a GHMC official said. The incident, which occurred at Amberpet locality on Sunday, was caught on a CCTV camera.

What Makes Stray Dogs Aggressive?

Keren Nazareth, the director of the Humane Society International/India Street Dog Program told the Indian Express that it is impossible to always establish the exact cause why a dog bites.

According to the expert, in the case of a street dog, the conditions that could lead to a bite are difficult to deduce, as their lives are riddled with difficulties; they have faced difficulties since birth.

Nazareth told Indian Express that those dogs who survive and become adults go through a variety of traumas, which may include assault, abuse, a lack of food, water, and so on, adding that statistics shows that youngsters under the age of six and senior residents are the most “susceptible” to dog bites.

“With youngsters, the case appears to revolve largely around their playing with puppies, although this is not always the case. “Old citizens are [attacked] when walking or outside,” Nazareth explained.

Dr Dilip Sonune, director, veterinary services at Wiggles.in, also told Indian Express that the most typical reason why a dog bites is because it “feels threatened”. In agreement with Nazareth, he noted that “defending themselves or their parents, someone approaching them suddenly, or them having been subjected to extreme abuse, trauma, or anxiety” could be some other factors. “They may also bite as a response of pain caused by an accident or disease,” the expert explained, said the report.

Aggressive Pet Breeds

Over the past year, various cases of people being seriously hurt by pet dogs have also come up. Many of these were found to be pitbulls, raising the question of whether the breed was an aggressive one. According to Pamela Reid, PhD, vice president of the ASPCA’s Animal Behavior Center in New York, pit bulls are not aggressive toward people in general, but they are “less tolerant” of other dogs than many other breeds. “They also have exceptional tenacity. They set their minds to something and complete it. That is why they are ideal for sports such as weight pulling,” she was quoted as saying in a report by WebMD. Reid describes them as “very strong, athletic animals.”

However, the report goes on to say that the decision to own a pit bull should not be taken lightly. The breed has been prohibited in some US cities and towns, as well as the UK.

Pit bulls, according to opponents, are more likely to attack. However, the ASPCA, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and other organisations have advised against breed-specific legislation. They cite a study published on September 15, 2000, in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association.

The study, which focuses on fatal dog attacks, notes difficulties in identifying different breeds (especially mixed breeds) and calculating a bite rate. The researchers pointed out that there isn’t consistent data on breed populations and bites, particularly when the injury isn’t severe enough to necessitate an ER visit.

According to Reid, a variety of factors can contribute to an aggressive personality. Breeding dogs for protection, dog fighting, social status, or financial gain is an example of this. Abuse, neglect, tethering, chaining, and insufficient obedience training and supervision are other examples.

In India, inciting dogs to fight is illegal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960. Yet organised dogfights are prevalent in Punjab, Haryana, other parts of north India, and Rajasthan, making pit bull-type dogs used in these fights the most abused dog breeds.

They are commonly bred to be used in illegal fighting or kept on heavy chains as attack dogs, resulting in a lifetime of suffering.

Many endure painful physical mutilations such as ear-cropping, an illegal process that involves removing part of a dog’s ears to prevent another dog from grabbing them in a fight, thereby losing the fight. In a fight, the dogs are encouraged to continue until both dogs become exhausted and at least one gets seriously injured or dies.

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), the statutory body established under Section 4 of the PCA Act, 1960, states that greyhound races commonly held in Punjab are illegal.

What’s the Solution?

For India’s stray dogs, a strong sterilisation campaign and vaccination drive are required. A spaying programme will aid in population management, says a report by Firstpost.

The Centre passed the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules in 2001 to restrict their population, however the proposals were not properly executed. The Centre published the proposed Animal Birth Control Rules, 2022 on July 31, 2022, along with detailed rules for monitoring dog welfare programmes. They also aim to prevent human-animal conflict by defining how dogs should be fed and how dog bite disputes should be managed.

According to Sonya Ghosh, founder and trustee of the Delhi-based Citizens for the Care and Protection of Animals, animal birth control is geographically separated under the new guidelines. Before a new region may be established, the laws require that 70% of the dogs in a given area be sterile. “This was not happening before, and dogs were breeding,” Ghosh explained.

The Supreme Court ruled in May that community dogs can be fed at private driveways/porches or at locations selected in cooperation with resident welfare organisations. The Delhi High Court had earlier ruled sites for feeding strays must be defined keeping in mind that “every community dog is a territorial being and hence, community dogs must be fed and tended to at places inside their territory”.

“Stray dogs always fight among themselves for food, but they do not attack humans if food is available in adequate quantity,” Dr Sameer Sahay, a veterinary officer in Ranchi, told The Times of India after increased dog attacks during the lockdown. As food becomes scarce, however, they become aggressive and attack people.”

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