The Call of the Wild: A jogger attacked by 9 stray dogs at Punggol...

The victim, a 20-year-old student Alicia Tay has learnt from her painful experience, that she should have exercised her lung to scream & not to hesitate to scream whenever she sees a pack of stray dogs in her vicinity. Hur hur.

A jogger was attacked by a pack of nine stray dogs at a park in Punggol on Wednesday night.

The park was only recently developed, and animal experts said the dogs might have been trying to protect their territory.

It was a routine jog gone wrong and 20-year-old student Alicia Tay is perhaps lucky to escape with just scratches and bites.

Ms Tay said she usually runs around the neighbourhood, but decided to check out the new Waterway park.

She told Channel NewsAsia, she slowed to a brisk walk when she saw the dogs.

But they followed her and started to claw at her legs.

When one bit her ankle, she screamed and that managed to scare the dogs away.

She later went to a nearby clinic where she got a tetanus jab.

Ms Tay said a father-and-daughter pair who went to her aid, had earlier jogged past the dogs without any incident.

She said: "I couldn't stop. I was afraid they would pounce on me if I stopped, so I just brisk-walked.

"I hoped that maybe if I continued walking, I may meet people in front.

"But it looked very deserted. So I thought maybe if I left them alone, maybe if I don't give them any attention they would leave me alone as well.

"But apparently that's not the case.

"I feel that probably they felt my fear, they could sense my fear that I was really scared of them, because I was intimidated by them.

"To add on to that, I was alone."

Animal welfare group Action for Singapore Dogs said the pack was most likely abandoned by construction workers.

It said Ms Tay could have intruded into their territory.

Ricky Yeo, president, Action for Singapore Dogs, said: "We see this incident as part of the pack protecting their territory. The Punggol Waterway has just been completed, so a lot of the undeveloped land has been developed now. So their natural habitat has been destroyed."

A resident said: "I've seen just two only. Quite small, not big those type."

Another added: "They don't disturb you, actually. They just play around the hillside."

Singapore's Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority has been running control operations in the area since September. And they have rounded up 22 dogs so far.

Experts' advice to the public is to stay calm, and not to run away from stray dogs.

Ricky Yeo said: "They should gradually slow down, if possible just walk calmly away, in the opposite direction they came from, rather than going into the thick of things."

Operations will likely be stepped up soon to capture the dogs.

According to AVA procedure, captured dogs that are not claimed by owners will be put down.

From Channel NewsAsia, "Jogger attacked by stray dogs at Punggol".