90-year-old man killed in Kerala after stray dogs attack him at his house

Thiruvananthapuram: A pack of dogs fatally attacked a 90-year-old man while he was sleeping on the veranda of his son’s unfinished house, Chiruvilla Puthen Veedu, at Mundayil near Varkala, 46 km from here on Wednesday morning.

Raghavan, who sustained serious wounds on his face, arms, legs and head in the attack that took place at 6 am, battled for life at the medical college’s surgical intensive care unit for nearly nine hours before succumbing to his injuries.

A portion of the nonagenarian’s face and nose were bitten off by the dogs. According to eyewitnesses, the dogs which were moving near the house attacked Raghavan without any provocation. They pounced on the old man, pulled him down to the floor and started biting hard causing serious wounds. On hearing his cries, family members and neighbours came to the spot to rescue him.

Raghavan was first taken to Varkala taluk hospital and then rushed to the medical college hospital. After anti-rabies shots, he was given emergency treatment. With his condition worsening, he was shifted to surgical ICU. A team of doctors from the department of preventive clinic, medicine, surgery, plastic sur-gery, neuro surgery, ophthalmology and ENT planned a combined effort. Raghavan, whose blood pressure had dip-ped massively, was unc-onscious throughout. A unit of blood was also transfused because of the severe blood loss. Though he suffered a heart attack at 1.20 pm the doctors managed to revive him. However, the second attack at 2.30 pm was massive and all efforts to revive him failed.

Despite administering life-saving drugs and support system, the death occurred at 2.55 pm. The body was later handed over to his relatives.

This is the second fatal incident involving stray dogs in the state during the past two months. On August 20, Silvamma, 65, a poor fisherwoman was fatally attacked by around 50 stray dogs as she came out of the house to relieve herself near Pulluvila coastal village on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram. Sadly, her house had no toilet.

Meanwhile, Varkala municipal chairman Bindu Haridas said the old man used to sleep in the sit out despite being requested by many to sleep inside the house. “He used to eat food at the same place often attracting strays. More care should have been taken by the family to protect him," she said.

On the complaints of strays, the chairperson said the municipality had recently launched the Animal Birth Control (ABC). She denied the charge that strays were frequently attacking people in Varkala and adjoining areas.