A malnourished two-year-old boy has been rescued by Chilean police after he was found being breastfed by a neighbors pregnant dog.
The toddler was spotted feeding from his neighbours dog, Reina, after his drunken mother allegedly left him without food or water in the desert port of Arica.
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The Mail Online reports: Police were called to the scene and the naked infant was taken to Hospital Regional Dr. Juan Noé, some 1,240 miles north of the country’s capital, Santiago, where he was found to be malnourished.
He was also suffering from a skin infection and a lice infestation, according to 24Horas.cl.
Officials believe the boy – who was seen feeding from Reina (‘Queen’) at a mechanic’s workshop in a poor area of the port on Thursday – may have been saved from starvation by the dog’s breast milk.
Speaking to the Star of Arica, Police Captain Diego Gajardo said the toddler displayed clear signs of ‘abandonment’. He was seen by a passerby hungrily feeding from the pregnant canine, he said.
While the infant was in hospital, his mother showed up ‘dead drunk’, according to neighbors.
Gajardo told The Associated Press the toddler was later released from hospital and temporarily placed in the care of local child welfare authorities. However, his mother has not been arrested.
This is because the boy did not have any physical injuries, said Gajardo – despite confirming that the child was malnourished. The captain did not mention the claims about lice and the skin infection.
A family court hearing is scheduled to take place on 22 September when it will decided who will care for the child.
