Food delayed, pet dogs maul farm worker to death

CUDDALORE: Two pet Rottweilers mauled a 58-year-old worker to death in a farm near Chidambaram in Cuddalore. Preliminary reports said the worker, who used to feed the dogs in the morning regularly, fed them late on Tuesday, when he was attacked.

Police said the victim, K Jeevanantham of Vallampadugai, had been working on the farm spread across 10 acres at Puduboolamedu since 2013. N Vijayasundaram, 56, a Congress functionary from Chidambaram, owns the land. Vijayasundaram bought two Rottweiler dogs three years ago and raised them on the farm to boost security and assist Jeevanantham in protecting the crops.

Police said Jeevanantham usually fed the dogs as soon as he reached the farm in the morning. “On Tuesday, though he reached the farm as usual, he went to feed the pets just before leaving the farm in the evening, when the dogs went berserk and attacked him,” said a police officer. Though Jeevanantham ran helter-skelter to escape, the dogs chased and attacked him targeting the head. The dogs ripped apart his two ears and bit all over his face, killing him on the spot.

The breed, known for having an unpredictable temperament, is banned in several countries such as Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Romania, Ukraine, Russia and Israel and many states in the USA. India has not imposed any restrictions on any dog breed so far.