5-day-old baby's toes eaten away by rodents after infant dumped in bushes

A 5-day-old baby girl was found abandoned in the bushes near a village in India on Thursday. Authorities said some rodents had eaten away two toes of both the feet of the child.

The baby was rescued by officials of the District Child Protection Unit of Women Development and Child Welfare Department in the state of Andhra Pradesh after they received information about the abandoned child, media outlet The Hindu reported.

The baby was taken to a hospital, where the doctors said the rodent attack had also led to infection on her feet. The infant was later moved to Old Government Hospital in the city of Vijayawada.

"As the infection is high, five fingers should be removed to prevent the spread of infection," the pediatricians said, according to The Hindu.

Authorities believe the baby was dumped by her mother, who has not been identified.

Officials questioned the people in the nearby areas, and found no woman had given birth or was pregnant in the village. Authorities have launched an investigation after a case was filed with Pamarru police, Child Protection Officer Y. Johnson reportedly said. It remains unclear why the baby was dumped near the bushes.

In India, especially in the rural areas, the desire to have a male child often leads to the abandonment of female babies. There have been several incidents when newborn female babies have been deliberately killed. The motive behind the latest incident is under investigation.

Last week, a 2-day-old baby girl with her umbilical cord still attached was found in a sugarcane field. The newborn baby had multiple injuries and insect bite marks all over her body when she was found in the state of Uttar Pradesh. "Villagers heard a baby's incessant cries and followed the sound to the sugarcane farm. It belongs to a person called Naulakhram. He and his family rescued the baby," police officer Jasvir Singh told The Times of India at the time. "We got information on the Dial 112 emergency service and dispatched a team to the spot. The baby was taken to the district hospital." Singh said the baby's condition when she was brought to the officers was critical.