A toddler has died after being mauled by his family's dog in the state of Queensland, northeast Australia.
The attack took place on Saturday, January 29, at the family's home in Mena Creek. The boy—Talan Peters, aged 2—suffered severe injuries to his skull.
After the mauling, emergency responders rushed the boy to a hospital in the town of Innisfail where his breathing and heart stopped temporarily.
Doctors managed to revive the boy before he was airlifted to another hospital in the city of Townsville, more than 150 miles to the south.
Talan underwent emergency brain surgery but doctors were unable to stop the internal bleeding and he was placed in an induced coma. On Monday evening, he was pronounced dead, news.com.au reported.
The boy's father, James Peters, told the news site that the two-year-old had been a "special little boy" who had fought "right up until his last breath."
"He was a brave little soldier. He was happy, adventurous and fearless, and would light up a room with his smile and character," said James Peters.
"He will be dearly missed by all family and friends. We have no words to explain the pain and loss we are feeling at this time."
The family thanked the medical staff and emergency responders who had tried to save their son.
"We would like to say a special thanks to all the nurses, doctors and staff from Innisfail to Townsville, and everyone involved in this horrific tragedy," James Peters said.
Bex Newman, a cousin of the boy's mother, has set up a GoFundMe page for the family.
The money will help the family pay for the funeral and "allow them time off work to grieve the loss of their child" without the added financial stress of providing for their two other children, she wrote.
So far, the page has raised more than $22,000 AUD (around $15,700).
"We are overwhelmed with all the support we have received from the GoFundMe page and thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts," the boy's father said.
In December 2021, a pit bull mauled a 3-year-old girl to death in Gqeberha, a city in South Africa's Eastern Cape province.
The child was playing with other children outside her home in the Zwide area of the city (formerly known as Port Elizabeth) when the dog attacked her, according to local media outlet News24.
One month earlier, a six-year-old boy suffered severe injuries after being attacked by three hunting dogs on a farm in New Zealand.
The boy was seriously wounded on his upper body and face at the rural property near Manapouri—a small town on the southwestern corner of the country's South Island—the Otago Daily Times reported.
