Trichy: A seven-year-old girl was mauled by a ferocious stray dog near Madurai road on Monday in an incident which throws light on the menace posed by stray dogs on city streets. The girl who stepped out of her aunt’s house was attacked by the stray canine which had already set upon a few other residents and injured them in the recent past.The victim was identified as Jiginima, a class II student hailing from Erwadi in Ramanathapuram district. The girl, along with her mother K Aamina, was visiting her aunt’s place at Valluvar street near Natharshah dargah when the incident occurred. Eyewitnesses said that the girl was heading for a community toilet nearby from her aunt’s house in the evening. “A ferocious stray dog attacked the girl straight away though she was walking calmly. We tried our best to shoo off the animal from the girl but she sustained severe cut injuries in the head and hand,” A Dhinakaran, a resident of Valluvar street, said. The injured girl was rushed to a private hospital where she had to be administered more than five stitches. Family members said that the condition of the girl was stable on Tuesday.The area which falls under ward 12 in Srirangam zone of Trichy corporation, as well as other parts nearby, including Palakkarai and Alwarthope, were inhabited by more than 50-75 stray canines, the residents alleged. “The same dog had attacked three to five residents last week,” Dhinakaran added. On being informed about the accident, corporation sources said that stray canines in the ward and nearby streets would be neutered through a sterilisation drive and violent animals kept under observation. “Officials have been instructed to inspect the locality, we will prevent such events in future,” corporation commissioner N Ravichandran told TOI. According to civic body claims, as many as 1,301 stray dogs were neutered in the 2017-2018 financial year.

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