A SIX- YEAR-OLD kindergarten girl is recovering at the Gizo Hospital, Western Province, from stray dog-inflicted injuries.
The girl received wounds to her body after a pack of about ten stray dogs attacked her at around 5pm on Tuesday on the road along the Western Provincial Government Headquarter.
The victim is a student of the United Church Kindy in Gizo.
Initial reports said, the little girl was heading back home with her grandmother and other kids when the incident occurred. She resides with her parents at Malakerava II.
Stray dogs normally take shelter under the old provincial office building, which accommodates the CAUSE Project, Lands Department, Tourism, Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Gizo Town Council.
It was raining that afternoon and the road was empty.
Witnesses said the girl was walking alone at that time.
It was when she walked past the old Provincial Government Head office that the attack occurred.
She received wounds to her back from several bites and scratches.
A Provincial Security Officer told Solomon Star in an interview that he heard a loud scream.
“I heard a loud screaming coming from the main road, so I quickly ran over to offer help.
“It was fortunate that a Police officer on duty at the Gizo Police Station heard the child screaming and ran to her rescue. She was saved from further attack from the dogs.”
The security officer said, close to ten dogs attacked the child.
He said the dogs grabbed the girl and tried to drag her underneath the old Provincial Government office building.
“Fortunately, the Police officer quickly intervened and chased all the dogs away.
“Luckily for the child, she survived the attack with only injuries to her back and small scratches to her neck,” the security officer said.
In an interview with the girl’s grandmother Wednesday, she recalled that they were walking together back home after being to the Gizo main market.
“On our way home, I stopped to chat with some wantoks along the main road in front of the MSG building. That’s when my grandchild walked on ahead to the main road.”
The grandmother said not long after that she heard her grandchild screaming with all the dogs around her on the footpath beside the main road.
“It was the Police officer and others who came to her rescue. So, I rushed over, picked her up and took her straight to the hospital.”
The grandmother said she was shocked to see the pack of dogs trying to drag her granddaughter under the building.
“They were biting her back and neck,” the emotional grandmother recalled.
Fortunately, the dogs didn’t injure her legs, hands and her front body parts.
The child’s shirt was already ripped apart by the dogs as the policeman rushed quickly to chase them away.
She received medication upon arrival at the hospital and remains under medical observation there. She is in a stable condition.
Meanwhile, Gizo residents and community leaders are appealing to the responsible authorities to quickly address the problem of high stray dog population.
A person died in Gizo after he was also attacked by a pack of dogs last year and there were numerous other stray dog attacks.
Soon after the stray dog attack-caused death, a Dog Working Committee was formed with the objective of getting rid of the stray dogs.
However, nothing was done so far to address the problem due to delay by the responsible to give them approval.
By ULUTAH GINA
Solomon Star, Gizo
