Prof dies in Greece hol dog attack
A FORMER Oxford professer was found dead yesterday after being mauled by stray dogs.
The 64-year-old woman was savaged while on a sight-seeing trip to an ancient archeological site in Maroneia, Greece.
The victim reportedly phoned relatives in the UK on Thursday to tell them she had been attacked. When her frantic family were unable to later get in touch with her, they alerted the Greek authorities.
Reports in the country last night indicated she had fallen victim to a pack of wild dogs in the area. Following a search, her body was moved by an air ambulance to Sismanoglio Hospital, in Komotini.
A source close to the rescue bid said last night: “It’s an absolute tragedy. The victim was a regular visitor to Greece because she loved the people and the culture.
“Everybody involved in the rescue attempt was left deeply shocked by the scene they found when the woman’s body was discovered.” The economic crisis in Greece is said to have led to a surge in the number of strays. Animal charities say there are now more than a million, because people have abandoned pets they can no longer afford to keep. The area where the woman was found is in the north-eastern tip of Greece, close to the border with Turkey. It is known for its archeological ruins, which make it popular with tourists. A review of a walking archeology tour in the area on Tripadvisor praised its “magnificent nature, prehistoric and ancient ruins”. In May last year, a Greek boy, aged five, was mauled to death by a rottweiler in Kozani, northern Greece, 250 miles from Maroneia. It was proposed thousands of stray dogs be poisoned ahead of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, despite a campaign by the RSPCA to prevent their slaughter. The unnamed victim’s family were last night thought to be travelling to Greece.