Dog Mauls Newborn Baby, Child In Critical Condition

In a horrific incident, a newborn baby was attacked and mauled by a dog in New Zealand. The incident took place in Enderley on Sunday night.

The child, believed to be just a day old, was rushed to Waikato Hospital with "critical injuries."

"Emergency services were called to a Hamilton address at around 7pm last night after an infant was bitten by a dog," a New Zealand police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

"The infant was transported to hospital in a serious condition. Inquiries into the circumstances of the incident are ongoing."

Police could not confirm the gender of the baby or the breed of the dog. Other details about the attack also remain unclear, local media said. The dog was seized and secured at the Hamilton City Council animal control facility.

“Staff collected the dog and it is now secured at the council’s animal control facility,” Hamilton City Council animal control manager Susan Stanford said in a statement.

“Further decisions regarding the animal will be informed by the ongoing police investigation... This is a traumatic time for all involved and our thoughts are with the families and individuals involved.”

Data obtained by the New Zealand Ministry of Health found there were almost 5,000 dog attacks that required hospitalisation between 2004 and 2014.

"In 2014 there were 531,158 registered dogs in New Zealand. There are many potential benefits of dog ownership, however, dog bite injuries can cause significant morbidity and be difficult to treat," a study, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, reportedly stated.

"Unfortunately, the most vulnerable members of society, children under 10 and those from low socioeconomic areas, are also the most at-risk for these injuries. It appears that current New Zealand legislation has been ineffective in addressing the rise in this preventable public health issue."