In Nabadwip, stray dogs formed a protective ring around an abandoned newborn outside a toilet, guarding the infant through the night. A local woman discovered the baby at dawn and arranged for his hospital transfer. Police are investigating the abandonment, with the child welfare committee to ensure his long-term care.

NABADWIP: A pack of stray dogs formed a ring around an abandoned newborn outside the toilet of a house in Nabadwip, protecting the mewling baby through the early hours of Monday. The four-legged guardians left the spot only after a local woman rescued the child at dawn.Residents of Swarupnagar Rail Colony in Nabadwip town, located around 10km from pilgrimage town Mayapur, heard the newborn’s cries but most of them thought the cries were emanating from a house in the neighbourhood.

At dawn, Radha Bhowmick was headed to the toilet when she spotted the infant surrounded by the dogs. She picked the newborn, a boy, and called out for assistance. Her niece-in-law Priti Bhowmick rushed the baby to Maheshganj Hospital. Later, the infant was transferred to Krishnanagar Sadar Hospital.Doctors reported no external injuries. There was blood on the baby’s head, most likely from birth.Nabadwip cops suspect the newborn was abandoned shortly after delivery by a local. Police, along with Childline officials, have opened an investigation and have contacted the Child Welfare Committee for the child’s long-term care.Bhowmick later remarked: “Those dogs, the ones we often chase away, did what many humans wouldn’t. They kept the baby alive.”There have been reports of similar acts by strays including one in Kolkata nine years ago when four dogs sat around a newborn girl, chased away crows, and guarded her until she was rescued.