Boy survives five-hour surgery after brutal stray dog attack

BACHOK: An 8-year-old boy underwent five-hour surgery after he was seriously injured in an attack by five stray dogs at Pantai Kuala Kemasin here last Thursday.

The victim, Azuar Firdaus Zuraiman, underwent surgery to clean and close the bite wounds, including puncture marks from the dogs' teeth on his head and neck.

His father, Zuraiman Mahmod, 47, said his eighth child of nine siblings was playing at the beach with several relatives at about 9am when the incident occurred.

He said a group of stray dogs suddenly approached and chased them, causing his son to fall before the animals attacked and bit him.

"My son managed to get up and kick the animals before running towards the water, which was when the dogs stopped attacking him.

"The incident was noticed by a worker who happened to be in the area. He brought my son to our food stall near the beach," he said when contacted today.

Zuraiman said he had been running a food business in the area for years and the latest incident was the second stray dog attack there in two years.

He said a fisherman had previously injured his hand after being attacked by stray dogs, adding that he never expected one of his children to become a victim.

He said his son underwent surgery from 1pm to 5pm yesterday and was now in stable condition while receiving treatment at Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II (HRPZII) in Kota Bharu.

Zuraiman said stray dogs had been a longstanding problem in the area and residents had previously lodged complaints.

Meanwhile, Bachok district police chief Superintendent Mohamad Ismail Jamaluddin confirmed receiving a report on the incident.