MARGAO
Beware of strays on the prowl on beaches. An early morning running trip on the Benaulim beach turned into a nightmare for a 24-year old girl from Loutolim after she was attacked by stray dogs.
The victim girl, a regular runner, was mauled by the strays before a tourist couple rushed to her rescue after hearing her screams and cries for help, but not before she sustained around 6-7 bites. She was later rushed to the Loutolim Primary Health Centre for treatment.
Narrating her harrowing experience, the 24-year old runner and her friend chose the Benaulim beach for a run on Tuesday morning. While her friend waited for her at the beach entrance after running for an hour, the victim was running back towards the entrance when around seven dogs suddenly came charging towards her.
“I wasn’t scared after seeing the dogs charging. But, all of a sudden, three attacked me. I tried to shoo them away but they started biting me. I mustered strength to ward off the attack, but they bit me on my thighs and legs, leaving me helpless and exhausted. It was at this point, I raised an alarm and screamed for help. A tourist couple responded to my cries and rescued me from the strays”, the victim said.
After the victim girl conveyed the incident to her father, she was later rushed to the Primary Health Centre at Loutolim for treatment.
The girl’s father told The Goan that it would have been very fatal if the tourist family hadn’t come forward to offer help and rescue my daughter. “Hope the incident is treated as a wakeup call for the tourism and other authorities to do something to keep the beach belt safe for children, families as well as tourists”, he said.
“Such an incident can happen to anyone visiting the beach, be it locals or tourists. Just imagine a situation if my daughter had to fall down during the attack by the strays. Hope the authorities take a cue of the incident and rope in Animal welfare NGOs to work out a solution to the stray dog menace on the beach belt”, he added.
