Under threat of aggression from four-legged creatures: a dog attacked schoolchildren, seven of whom ended up in the hospital.
In the conditions of war, when society already suffers from constant tension, sirens, losses, economic instability, there is another, less visible, but no less dangerous problem – the increase in the number of dog attacks on children. This phenomenon is not isolated, it has become a chronic pain point that neither local authorities nor veterinary services can cope with. At the same time, the most often victims are children – the generation of war, which grows up in reality, where the threat can appear not only from the sky, but also right in the school yard.
Attack in Brovary: seven schoolchildren in the hospital
On May 5, in Brovary, Kyiv region, a dog attacked children near two lyceums — No. 5 and No. 8. It happened in the middle of the day, after classes, when children were leaving educational institutions. Seven schoolchildren were injured, they had light and moderate injuries. This was reported by police Kyiv Oblast and the head of the Brovary City Council Ihor Sapozhko. The children were taken to the hospital, where they received first aid and were vaccinated against rabies. Currently, everyone is under medical supervision.
Local residents claim: the animal did not look homeless, it probably has owners. Currently, law enforcement officers are investigating the circumstances of the attack. Mayor Ihor Sapozhko said that he took the situation under personal control, promising to ensure the safety of students. However, Ukrainian society has been hearing such promises for years – after every high-profile incident.
Berdychiv: a rabid dog and the death of a child
Earlier, another blatant episode happened in Berdychev, a city where dogs have been moving in packs for a long time. According to local residents, there has long been a critical situation with homeless animals. But a tragic incident that shocked not only Zhytomyr Oblast, but also the entire country — the attack of a rabid dog on a migrant girl. The child and his mother were fleeing their city from rocket attacks, but received serious bites and were hospitalized. Despite the efforts of doctors, it was not possible to save her.
After the child’s death, activists and parents organized actions, demanded actions from the city authorities, but there was no reaction. Meanwhile, dogs still run near schools and playgrounds.
Children of war are at risk — and not only from missiles
In conversations about child protection, shelters, distance learning or humanitarian aid are often mentioned, but the reality is more complex. Children born or growing up to the sound of shelling and sirens today face dangers not only from war. Animals abandoned by their owners due to poverty, evacuation or death are increasingly joining the ranks of the homeless. Some of them are infected with rabies, some are socialized, but hungry and aggressive.
There is no centralized program for controlling the population of homeless animals in the country. Local budgets rarely allocate money for sterilization or care. Shelters are overcrowded and the ban on euthanasia has virtually collapsed. Against this background, the law enforcement and veterinary system is also unable to react in time.
Every attack by a dog on a child is not an accident, but a consequence of irresponsibility, inaction, and the absence of a systemic policy in the state. When children in Brovary or Berdychev are hospitalized or lose their lives, it is not just a local tragedy, but a signal for an immediate review of the state approach. Otherwise, we will reach a point where the “animal problem” will become the country’s new chronic wound, alongside war, poverty and infrastructural ruin.
A national program that combines the efforts of communities, veterinarians, the police and the Ministry of Regions is needed. And also — an honest recognition that inaction is now costing the lives of the most vulnerable. And this account is growing every day.
