A post-mortem examination conducted on Friday of the stray dog that allegedly attacked a bedridden 84-year-old woman in Kerala’s Thrissur district revealed that it was infected with rabies, police said.
The elderly woman was killed and her 60-year-old differently-abled son was seriously injured in a stray dog attack on their house in Vilarakad near Errumapetty on Thursday.
According to police, the dog was later captured and beaten to death by local residents later that night. Police said that veterinarians examined the dog’s body, after which they confirmed that the animal was infected with rabies.
In addition to the woman and her son, the dog also attacked three people in the vicinity and three other dogs, police said.
Meanwhile, Euromapiti police said they had registered a case of unnatural death in connection with the incident that occurred on Friday. A post-mortem examination also confirmed that the woman’s death occurred as a result of a stray dog bite on her neck. Her body was handed over to her relatives after an autopsy, police said, adding that her son was discharged from the hospital on Friday morning.
Abhilash, a former panchayat ward member, said the elderly woman was attacked by a stray dog that managed to enter her one-storey, tile-roofed house at around 6 pm on Thursday.
“She was discovered by one of her three sons, who lived nearby, in a very bad condition as her face was completely disfigured in the stray dog attack. She succumbed to her injuries before being taken to the hospital,” the former ward member said, adding that the dog had also bitten the wire conductor who was also taken to the hospital.
“Stray dog attacks are a regular feature here in Kadangod panchayat. Government officials have done nothing to stop this 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.
He said panchayat officials and local residents had written several complaints to the district superintendent about the stray dog menace, but there was no effective response.
