A WOMAN was left with multiple bleeding bite wounds after she was attacked by a pack of stray dogs as she made her way to church.
Philomena Crasta is recovering at her home in Gudaibiya from the injuries on her legs, stomach and breasts.
The feral attack took place at around 6.10am on Sunday while the 50-year-old Indian national was walking down Isa Al Kabeer Avenue towards the Sacred Heart Church in Manama.
“Normally, I go to church on Saturday evenings but since I had missed last Saturday, I decided to go on Sunday morning,” Ms Crasta told the GDN.
“As I was walking towards the Yateem petrol station, I spotted three dogs at a distance. I didn’t look their way nor did I pay any attention to them.
“Suddenly, a black dog ran towards me followed by two other white dogs. They attacked me; I tried separating them but couldn’t.
“They tore my shirt. I started bleeding from the bites; while people stood by watching.
“A man who was passing by saw what had happened and offered to take me to a private hospital.”
However, she was referred to the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) as the facility didn’t have treatment for dog bites.
Sharing her medical records with the GDN, Ms Crasta said at the SMC she received a tetanus shot for seven bite wounds, and medication.
“I requested a rabies shot but was told that since Bahrain was a rabies-free country there was no medication for that.
“I am in so much pain. I feel helpless; I can’t walk or go to work,” said Ms Crasta, who works at a restaurant in Manama.
She urged a solution to the strays problem, adding that a lot of people, including children, walked through the area where she was attacked.
“I have seen those dogs near Al Hamra Cinema approaching people as if to bite them; some manage to chase them away while some others pet these animals.”
Capital Trustees Board chairman Saleh Tarradah sympathised with Ms Crasta’s ordeal.
“We feel sorry that this has happened,” he said. “We have held several meetings with authorities about this ongoing issue and they have shared different plans as well.
“Our aspiration is that this gets sorted out because it’s been going on for some time.”
Meanwhile, Ali Ebrahim, operation manager of Black Gold, a company that works 24/7 capturing strays, said hordes of dogs can be seen roaming around the Manama Cemetery area and Al Hamra Cinema.
“However, we have spotted dogs that we caught and moved to Askar back in Manama a few days later,” he told the GDN.
“We have caught some of these dogs twice in the same area; it is impossible for them to return to Manama from Askar.”
He added that the company kept records of each stray captured, including photos, details like age and even identifying marks.
He urged people not to feed the strays in residential or corporate areas.
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