NYC Dogs Maul Joggers, Raid Zoo

Dec. 27, 2001 -- Two people were recovering today after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs on a boardwalk in the New York City borough of Queens, the second incident involving feral dogs in the city this week.

On Monday, a pack of dogs slipped into a zoo in Staten Island and killed two wallabies, four deer and two peacocks.

In the mauling Wednesday, a 51-year-old Rockaway woman was attacked by four dogs — two rottweilers, two pit bulls and a German shepherd mix — as she jogged on a boardwalk in Rockaway, a peninsula separating the Atlantic Ocean from Jamaica Bay.

She was bitten on the legs and could not drive the dogs off. She was helped by two other joggers, one of whom grabbed a stick to try to keep the animals at bay while the other called police.

When officers arrived, they tranquilized the five dogs, and then found another victim — a man who had been bitten all over his face, arms and body and had one eye torn out.

The man was listed in critical condition today at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, while the woman was in stable condition.

A homeless man who said he owned one of the animals, Wilfredo Velez, 46, was arrested and charged with having an unleashed dog. Police said the other animals were probably strays.

Christmas Eve Attack

The pack of stray dogs that killed animals in a Staten Island zoo are still on the loose, roaming the West Brighton area of the island borough, according to officials. Police say the dogs managed to squeeze into the zoo twice, killing eight animals, including four deer.

The dogs first made their way into the zoo through the front gate on the morning of Christmas Eve, and then returned later in the day. Officials say, however, that they managed to escape both times before they could be caught.

The wallaby area at the Staten Island Zoo is now empty. All that remains is the paw prints left behind by the pack of wild dogs. Officials say the animals attacked the zoo's two wallabies, two peacocks and then crawled under a fence to attack and kill all four fallow deer.

"The manner in which the fallow deer were killed was typical wild animal kills, where the haunches were bitten to slow the animal down and then, unfortunately, the throats were crushed," zoo director Vincent Gattullo said.

Animal control officers were searching for the wild dogs, hoping to prevent more attacks at the zoo. A trap has been set up in one area, while zoo workers covered up holes in fencing.

The owner of the nearby Silver Mount Cemetery says the dogs have been a problem in the area for months.

"They're running wild in the cemetery, interfering with our burials, going after people and killing cats, raccoons, whatever they can get at," cemetery owner Dora Arslania said.

Officials with the Center for Animal Care and Control say they have responded in the past to reports of a pack of wild dogs, but have not been able to catch them.

Doris Meyer, the animal control spokeswoman, said New York does not have an especially serious stray dog problem, and said that the two incidents may have be sparked by the recent cold snap in the city, which could have made it harder for the animals to find food.

"But who knows what could set a dog off?" she said.