Mexican pack of stray dogs ‘kills four’ in park

Authorities say there are about 120,000 stray dogs in Mexico City

Authorities in Mexico are investigating the deaths of four people reportedly killed by a pack of dogs in a park.

The bodies of the victims, including a mother and her baby, were covered in what appeared to be bite marks, and police found their belongings nearby.

At least 25 dogs living in Cerro de la Estrella, a hilly woodland in eastern Mexico City, have been rounded up by investigators,according to BBC.

The number of stray dogs in the Mexican capital is estimated at about 120,000.

Experts said the bite marks suggest that at least 10 dogs were involved in the attack.

The detained dogs will undergo tests to verify the presence of human tissues in their mouths and intestines, authorities said.

The deaths are believed to have happened between 29 December and 5 January.

The large population of stray dogs has long been a problem in Mexico City, correspondents say.

A 2008 study said that there were more than three million of them living on the streets, but a more recent estimate by the capital’s authorities suggested the 120,000 figure.

This is roughly equivalent to the number of dogs collected from the streets of the UK in 2011.

M.W