Boy was mauled to death by a pack of wolves or wild dogs, say police

His body was found by his mother, with numerous bites and his clothes ripped to shreds. Tracks in the snow suggest wolves or wild dogs, it was reported. 

The boy had gone out on the evening of 28 February and never returned. 

Neighbouring Siberian region, the Sakha Republic, has instituted a cull against wolves amid concerns on their attacks on remote villages, where their prey are reindeer and horses. The head of Yessey village administration Gennady Maimaga warned that stray dogs are living in the forest and turning wild. 

They have attacked locals before. 

'They actively breed in the forest and enter the village's territory,' he said. 'There were previous cases when they had attacked people.'

Regional police officials are heading to Yessey for a preliminary inquiry into the boy's death.