5-day-old child’s toes eaten away by rodents after toddler dumped in bushes

A five-day-old girl was found abandoned in the bushes near a village in India on Thursday. Authorities said some rodents ate two toes off the child’s feet.

The baby was rescued by officials from the District Child Protection Unit of Women Development and Child Welfare Department in Andhra Pradesh state after receiving information about the abandoned child, The Hindu media agency reported.

The baby was taken to a hospital where doctors said the rodent attack also infected her feet. The infant was later taken to the Old Government Hospital in Vijayawada City.

“Since the infection is high, five fingers should be removed to prevent the infection from spreading,” the pediatricians said, according to The Hindu.

Authorities believe the baby was disposed of by her unidentified mother.

Officials questioned people in the surrounding areas and found that no women in the village had given birth or were pregnant. Authorities have opened an investigation after a case was filed with Pamarru police, child protection officer Y. Johnson reportedly said. It remains unclear why the baby was dumped near the bushes.

In India, the desire to have a male child, especially in rural areas, often results in female babies being abandoned. There have been several incidents in which newborn female babies have been deliberately killed. The motive for the recent incident is currently being investigated.

Last week, a two-day-old girl was found in a sugar cane field with an umbilical cord still attached. The newborn had multiple injuries and insect bites all over its body when it was found in the state of Uttar Pradesh. “The villagers heard the incessant screams of a baby and followed the sound to the sugar cane farm. It belongs to a person named Naulakhram. He and his family saved the baby, ”policeman Jasvir Singh told the Times of India at the time. “We got information on 911 and sent a team on the spot. The baby was taken to the county hospital.” Singh said the baby’s condition when it was brought to officials was critical.

Representative picture. Newborn’s Feet Photo: Getty Images / Christopher Furlong