A young boy is exhibiting canine mannerisms after being rescued from a flat he shared with 22 stray dogs.
The 11-year-old boy was discovered to be kept in the small property in Pune, India, for hours at a time while his parents ran a shop.
His neighbours said they would often see the boy, who hasn’t been named for his own protection, staring out of the window, according to The Independent.
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Eventually they called Childline, a non-government organisation in India that operates a telephone helpline for children in distress.
Local reports state that officials from the organisation visited the house, where they found the boy sitting by the window with the pack of dogs.
They checked in on him a second time on Monday, May 9, only to find him locked in the same flat.
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A charge has since been filed against the parents for keeping the boy in inhumane conditions, and the case was registered with the Kondhwa police station under various sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.
Anuradha Sahasrabudhe, executive director of Dnyana Devi Childline, told The Indian Express: "We also found four dog carcasses there. Even animal excreta were not removed from the apartment. The boy was kept in very dirty conditions.
"We have, therefore, urged the police to give him proper treatment as well as counselling and follow the directions of the CWC.”
Officials have said the boy had been kept in these conditions for two years, and was even pulled out of school after picking up the ‘behavioural traits’ of the dogs he’d been surrounded with.
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Speaking to The Independent, a child welfare committee official said: "We got information from the Childline official that this boy is locked up in a very inhuman way inside the house.
“She tried to make the parents understand to send him to school but they wouldn't listen.
"The official with the help of local police broke the door and rescued the child. The boy was kept with the dogs for two years and he was taken out of school because he started picking up their behavioural traits.
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“He tried to bite someone in school. We will take strict action against the parents."
Police officer Sardar Patil spoke to reporters to indicate that the parents will likely be punished, stating: "The boy after being rescued from the small apartment was sent to a childcare centre and further action will be taken as per the directions of the CWC.”
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Topics: World News, Crime, Dogs