NEW DELHI, India – Stray dogs are being rounded up and killed in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state after the starving animals began attacking tsunami survivors, especially children.

Municipal officials in the devastated Nagapattinam district, 160 miles south of the state capital, Madras, said at least 30 dogs had so far been put to sleep following reports that they were attacking and terrorizing refugees packed into relief shelters, particularly at mealtimes.

“The starving dogs’ behavior changed after they began eating animal and human corpses washed ashore soon after the tsunami,” said Shantha Sheela Nair, who is in charge of relief work in the district.

The bodies had since been cleared, but the dogs had started snarling at people and attacking women and children, who were less able to defend themselves.

Moving in wolf-like packs, they further traumatized tsunami victims, already in shock, by howling loudly at night.

Officials said animal welfare groups helping with the relief work in Nagapattinam had agreed to the stray dogs being killed after confirming reports that they were becoming a nuisance.

Stray dogs are common across India and are responsible for around 20,000 rabies deaths each year.

Thousands of carrion-eating dogs have emerged over the last few years across parts of India’s western, desert state of Rajasthan. They live in dead-animal dumping grounds and have posed a serious threat to locals, many of whom are regularly attacked.