Dog Grabs Newborn Baby's Body, Runs Around Hospital Campus With Corpse

In a disturbing incident, a stray dog entered a hospital in India and grabbed the corpse of a newborn baby before running around the premises with the child in its mouth.

The incident took place Monday in the eastern state of Odisha. The district headquarters of the government-run hospital reported the incident to the authorities. According to media outlet Odisha TV, the stray dog, which was seen running around the hospital campus with the corpse, dumped it and fled when some people tried to chase the animal

“We saw the dog was holding the body of the newborn girl in its mouth and running on the hospital campus. We gave the dog a chase suspecting that the baby might be alive. The dog then fled leaving the body there,” an eyewitness told local media. “If such incidents happen at government hospital, how will we dare to bring our near and dear ones to the hospital for treatment. We have totally lost faith in the hospital.”

The police are investigating how the newborn baby's body reached the hospital. Officials at the hospital claimed it was a premature fetus.

“It looks like a premature fetus. It was lying on the hospital premises for some time. We do not know under what circumstances and from where the body reached the campus. We have informed the police and an internal probe will also be conducted and action will be taken accordingly,” Bhadrak Chief District Medical Officer, Santosh Kumar Patra, told Odisha TV.

Meanwhile, another eye-witness told India Today the infant had been dumped inside the hospital.

"Later, we found the infant was dead and it was dumped in open space by the hospital authorities. The dog had found the corpse there," the witness said.

Rural inhabitants and people with lower-earning potential rely on government hospitals for affordable treatment. However, many such hospitals lack quality medical services. There have also been reports of lack of sanitation and cleanliness.

Last year in November, a disturbing video surfaced online showing a stray dog nibbling at the dead body of a girl in a hospital. The 20-second video showed the canine gnawing at a dead body, which was covered with a white cloth, and was left unattended on a stretcher.