Fisherman attacked by stray dogs, dies

A 48-year-old fisherman who was mauled by a pack a stray dogs in the coastal village of Pulluvila near Thiruvananthapuram died on Monday. The deceased, identified as Joseclin, was at the beach on Sunday night, to haul his fishing net, when a pack strays chased and attacked him, leaving him with serious injuries.

Joseclin was shifted to the Government Medical College and Hospital where he died in the early hours of Monday. He is survived by his wife and three children.

The incident triggered protests in the Pulluvila neighbourhood and local residents blocked traffic on the Thiruvananthapuram-Poovar road. They said despite recurring attacks of stray dogs on residents in the area, no measures were being taken to address the issue of piling waste which has aggravated the stray menace in the region.

A local unit of the Congress party called for a hartal in the area while protesters under the local church said they would protest on the road with the deceased fisherman’s body.

The incident comes nine months after a 64-year-old woman, Siluvamma, was mauled to death by strays in Pulluvila. The attack, in August last year, had parts of her arms and legs bitten off by the strays. Residents of the area maintained that the number of strays was rising as they feed on large amounts of raw meat waste and leftover food being dumped in the area.

Over the past nine months, hundreds have suffered injuries in stray attacks in the area but the government, despite announcement of fresh Animal Birth Control (ABC) drives, has failed to effectively address the issue, the protesters said.

A Supreme Court-appointed panel, in August 2016, said over a lakh people were bitten by dogs in the state during 2015-16. The stray have in the past led to widespread protests and culling of strays by vigilante citizen groups.