Abandoned newborn survives 50 wounds, animal bites

In a tale of miraculous survival, an abandoned newborn found clinging to his life from the branches of a tree in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur in August has fought back from the jaws of death after surviving 50 wounds, including a deep animal bite, dotting his fragile frame.

Image used for representational purpose only. Photograph: ANI Photo

The boy, who was barely two days old when he was found abandoned in Hamirpur, has defied all odds to not only get a new lease of life, but also a new name -- Krishna -- and most recently, a temporary abode, the government-run children's home in Prayagraj.

Prayagraj district probation officer Sarvajit Singh told PTI that the "fully fit" child is now being properly looked after at the children's home, where he was shifted following the orders of the Bal Kalyan Samiti (child welfare committee) in Hamirpur.

Asked about the possibility of adoption, Singh said, "The profile of every such child is uploaded on the website of the Central Adoption Resource Authority. Whoever wants to adopt a child can apply on the website. However, the profile of this child is yet to be uploaded."

Before he arrived in Prayagraj, the paediatrics department of the GSVM Medical College in Kanpur had virtually become his home, helping him stage a miraculous recovery in about two months, where his charming smile endeared him to the doctors and nurses alike.

So it didn't come as a surprise when the medical staff of the hospital were moved to tears at the time of his discharge after a triumphant death-defying battle.

"Our hearts rejoiced in equal measure when this little kid, found clinging to a fragile thread of life after being abandoned and attacked, recovered fully," Dr Arun Kumar Arya, head of the paediatrics department at the GSVM Medical College, said in a statement.

"Against all odds, this small and innocent baby endured unimaginable hardship, suffering multiple dog bites and scratch marks on his entire body before being mercifully rescued," Dr Arya said.

The child was found in an abandoned field in Hamirpur district and later rescued by the police after being notified by the local authorities, he added.

The child was "severely malnourished" and "in desperate need of medical attention" at the time of his rescue. The unfed boy had multiple infected wounds on his body and his cries could be heard from afar, Dr Arya said.

"The child was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit on August 31. He was put on oxygen support and fed with an infant-feeding tube. The loving care provided by the doctors and nurses brought the child back from the jaws of death as he became the apple of their eyes. Not a day went by when the hospital staff didn't play with baby Krishna," he said.

"Dr Arya named the child 'Krishna' because he was found on the auspicious day of Janmashtami (August 26) and emerged victorious after enduring so much suffering at such a tender age," the principal of GSVM Medical College, Sanjay Kala, said.

However, while shifting him to the children's home in Prayagraj, the child welfare committee recorded the infant's name as 'Lov', noting that it was an imaginary (kalpanik) name.”

"This baby is a reminder of human resilience and the power of kindness. Though abandoned, they are not alone. They are surrounded by those who believe in second chances. It is a testament to life's determination to persevere," Dr Arya said.

The boy was handed over to the child welfare committee on October 25 which moved him to his new abode in Prayagraj over the next couple of days.

"When he was leaving the hospital, all the staff members had tears in their eyes because they became so attached to the child," a doctor at GSVM said.

"If we became so attached to him in just two months, I wonder how could anyone abandon such a lovely child. Even if someone did not want him, he/she could have left him at a hospital or in front of a temple or a mosque. That would have spared him the pain," the doctor added.