Two dog attacks in North Sumatra in the past week have killed a man and injured an 8-year-old boy.

On Friday, Wahyudi, 33, was mauled to death by four Rottweilers at a plantation in XVII Hapoltahan village in Sei Bamban district, Serdang Bedagai regency.

Serdang Bedagai Police criminal investigation chief, Adj. Comr. Hendro Sutarno, said the victim suffered severe lacerations on his skin.

"His clothes were torn by the dogs. He suffered wounds all over his body and died from the loss of blood," Hendro told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

The four dogs were intentionally set free by the owner to guard the plantation. Wahyudi allegedly broke into the plantation, which was surrounded by a 2.7-meter stone wall, to steal bananas.

In a separate accident, an 8-year-old boy named Mishael Wike Tanaka suffered severe wounds on his head and face after being attacked by his family’s pit bull at his house in Medan, North Sumatra, on Nov. 23.

Mishael was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery for his wounds. The boy’s father, Jeffry, said he had received the pit bull from a friend who moved abroad six months ago. Jeffry said he had only chained the dog and never kept it inside a cage.

Mishael was playing with the pit bull when it attacked. Neighbors came to the rescue after Jeffry’s wife screamed for help. Jeffry was at work at the time of the incident.

Witon Manurung, the head of the Horas Pits American Pitbull Terrier community in Medan, said pit bulls had more energy than other dog breeds. Therefore, owners must keep pit bull pets active with daily walks, field-play and exercise, he said. Such activities would help pit bulls release their energy, overcome their aggressiveness and build good emotional connections with owners.

"If [these activities] are carried out, there’s a small chance of pit bull attacks as experienced by Mishael,'' said Wilton.