7세 여아, 개에게 100번 물어 뜯기는 참변 당해

(123rf)

뉴질랜드 오클랜드에서 일본계 7세 소녀가 개 네 마리에게 공격을 받아 심각한 부상을 입었다고 AP등 외신이 전했다.

사쿠라코 우에하라는 지난 3일 가족과 함께 지인의 집에 놀러 갔다가 그 집에서 키우는 스태퍼드셔 불 테리어(Staffordshire bull terrier) 종의 개 네 마리에게 온몸을 100군데 이상 물어 뜯기는 참변을 당했다.

오클랜드 미들모어 병원 관계자는 7일 우에하라가 아직 심각하지만 안정적인 상태로 접어들었으며. 성인이 될 때까지 지속적인 수술과 치료가 필요하다는 소견을 밝혔다.

담당 의사는 “단순히 개에 물린 상처가 아니라 개와 사투를 벌인 흔적이 있다”며 우에하라가 개로부터 공격을 받을 당시 의식이 깨어있던 것으로 보인다고 말했다.

사고 직후 개들은 안락사 된 것으로 알려졌다.

우에하라는 일본에서 식품업계에 종사하는 가정의 무남독녀로 피해자 가족은 현재 뉴질랜드에 체류하기 위한 절차를 밟고 있었던 것으로 밝혀졌다.

우에하라의 부모는 “많은 분들이 어떻게 도울 수 있겠냐고 물으시는데 딸을 위해 기도해 주시길 바란다”고 말했다.

소식을 접한 오클랜드 시민들은 우에하라 가족을 위해 십만 달러 (약 9천만원)의 성금을 모금해 전달한 것으로 알려졌다.

Girl bitten 100 times in New Zealand dog attack

New Zealand doctors said Friday that a 7-year-old Japanese girl was bitten about 100 times during a dog mauling that has horrified many in the South Pacific nation.

Zac Moaveni, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Auckland‘s Middlemore Hospital, told reporters that the girl, Sakurako Uehara, would likely need repeated surgeries until she was a grown woman.

He said she would have been conscious throughout the attack and the bites were all over her body.

“Any one of those would make you wince,’‘ he said, adding that ``it’s not just the bite with a dog, but it‘s the crush and the force that’s behind it. It‘s a very different injury than to say a stab wound, or a cat bite.’‘

Hospital officials said Friday the girl remained in a critical but stable condition.

According to police, the girl was attacked Monday by four Staffordshire bull terrier-cross dogs in the North Island town of Murupara while her family was visiting friends who owned the animals.

The dogs have been euthanized.

A social worker read reporters a statement from the girl’s family, in which they said they worked in the food industry in Japan and that Sakurako was their only daughter.

``We don‘t know what to expect in the coming weeks and months. We have a long journey ahead,’‘ the statement said. ``We simply wish to take things one day at a time. We are grateful for all the various offers of support. Many people want to know how they can help. Please just keep Sakurako in your prayers.’‘

Fairfax Media reported that the girl was enrolled at a Maori language immersion school in Murupara for a month and that the family was planning to return to Japan to sort out residency requirements for a longer stay in New Zealand.

Concerned observers have donated more than 100,000 New Zealand dollars ($85,000) to help the family.

Police said they are investigating whether to lay criminal charges against the dog owners or anyone else. (UPI)