100 dogs killed, stealthily buried in village

Residents had complained to panchayat about dog menace, but did not expect the animals to be killed

In an act of shocking brutality, over 100 dogs were culled and their bodies buried near a pond in this village, nearly 20 km from Chennai, over the last three days. The poisoning of the dogs, according to residents, was carried out at the orders of the Panchayat. Nearly 25 carcasses of dogs that were culled on Monday were recovered by the Blue Cross of India and brought to the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Vepery.

While villagers claim that nearly 200 dogs were killed, Blue Cross puts the number of the animals poisoned at around 100. Dogs from the areas of Sendurpuram, Vinayaganagar and Amman Nagar were killed and brought to nearby D.R.R Nagar, where they were buried near a neglected pond.

“On Saturday and Sunday, three men and a woman came in a tractor loaded with over a hundred bodies of dogs and buried them here. This happened at noon when most people were at work,” said a resident. “They told us it was as per panchayat instructions. Since the tractor bore the panchayat sticker, we did not interfere. They assured us the pit had been dug really deep so there would be no smell.”

The act came to light when the same tractor arrived at the same place, this time with 24 carcasses, on Monday morning and one of the residents informed Blue Cross. “When we rushed there, they had already injected the dogs with cyanide and some dogs were gasping for breath. We couldn't save them though we brought all the bodies to TANUVAS,” said Dawn Williams, General Manager, Blue Cross of India. Mr Williams also exhumed another carcass, buried much earlier, and brought it to TANUVAS for a post-mortem examination.

A complaint was lodged and Poonamallee police registered an FIR against six people, two of whom — Elangovan, supervisor of sweepers in Poonamallee panchayat and Kalainesan, driver of the tractor — have been arrested. The others, mostly people hired to catch the dogs with iron hooks and inject them with cyanide, ran away as soon as residents and Blue Cross workers raised an alarm.

“The panchayat president has been out of the city for the past three days and the workers took the action without consulting him. They did this only because the residents had complained of the dog menace,” said T. Mahesh, advocate for the accused party. Every family here owns dogs and most don't know how to take care of them. They are not sterilised and they bite us, he added.

Residents acknowledge the dog menace exists in the area. The slaughter houses and garbage in the area have increased the number of dogs in the last few months, they said.

“Many of us here are night shift workers in companies and it very difficult, to walk along or cycle past this stretch to get home at nights, because the dogs attack us or chase us. We had complained to the panchayat and the officials said they would take care of it,” said another resident. “But we never wanted them to be killed and dumped like this,” he added.

Some residents said they were told the injections would only drug the dogs and they would be dropped off on the outskirts. "Only when we saw the tractor lowering the bodies into the pit, did we realise they had lied to us. They had not even spared puppies,” said a student.

Police officials in Poonamallee said that investigations were on. “We have sent the cyanide bottles for examination to know how the panchayat workers procured them,” said Shankar, the investigating officer.

Some residents also say the culling here is not a new thing in the area and happens once in every few months. “But this is the first time they killed even dogs that were being taken care of by various families,” said Geetha, a resident. 

“We did not visit our native village because our dog was to give birth. But a woman came today and injected my dog when she was sleeping near the gate. Before, we knew what was happening, the dog had died. They put the carcass on the tractor,” said Janaki, a resident.

“There are ways to deal with dogs,” said Mr. Williams said. "We urge residents to never kill dogs because that creates a vacuum and encourages dogs from other localities to come in. These new unfamiliar dogs often turn into nuisance."

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3394902.ece

Animal welfare activists seek ban on horse carriages along Alibaug beach

Horse carriages are made to ply tourists through waist-deep water, notice sent to collector.

 

Following no movement on their complaint against horse carriages made to ply through waist-deep sea water at Alibaug beach, the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organization (FIAPO) has now sent a legal notice to the District Collector of Raigad on the issue and has asked for a ban on such practices at all beaches in the area.

“Since there was no action taken post our letter to the district collector in February, we have now sent a formal complaint under Section 133 of the Criminal Procedure Code so that immediate action is taken,” said Shakuntala Majhumdar, governing body member of FIAPO. “Apart from a ban on the practice near Kolaba fort, this time we have asked for a ban on horse carriages across all beaches in Alibaug,” she said.

The complaint terms the activity as a public nuisance since it puts human life at risk and amounts to cruelty against the animals under Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act 1960. “It is an eminent threat to both the horse and people on the carriage. To the horse, because it is forced to pull a heavy load through waist deep sea water and to the people, because in case the horse slips and the carriage falls, it may cause them serious injury, especially to children and the elderly,” said Ambika Hiranandani, FIAPO’s lawyer. The complaint is made under Section 133 of the CrPC as it gives the district magistrate power to ban an activity which he considers public nuisance.

Newsline had reported on February 23 that FIAPO had complained against carriage drivers at Alibaug beach forcing horses to ply through waist deep sea water to ferry tourists to and from Kolaba fort, which is about a kilometer from the beach and becomes accessible by foot during low tide. When Newsline visited the spot, an estimated 30 to 40 such carts were found on the beach with two horses each. Experts said saline water can cause dryness of hoof of the horses leading to lameness and since horses cannot see the depth of water, fatal injuries can take place. Besides, carrying such heavy loads is abusive to them. 

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/animal-welfare-activists-seek-ban-on-horse-carriages-along-alibaug-beach/946691/  

Pic: Pamela Anderson adopts an Indian homeless puppy!

Hollywood actress and model Pamela Anderson, who is also an animal rights activist, has adopted an Indian homeless puppy with the help of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a PETA official said.

 

"When Anderson came to India to appear as a guest on Bigg Boss 4, her heart was captured by the plight of the homeless dogs she saw on the streets," the official said.

"When Anderson, an honorary director of PETA US, learned that PETA India chief functionary Poorva Joshipura was headed to the US to meet with her overseas colleagues and her family, she asked if Joshipura would take along a homeless Indian puppy," the official added.

"Anderson has decided to name her new family member Pyari, or 'loved one'."

The puppy was rescued from a construction site in Mumbai.

"I'm tickled to be able to give Pyari a loving home," Anderson said in a statement.

"I already have rescued dogs, and I urge everyone to join me in adopting a homeless 'desi' dog from their local animal shelter or the streets instead of buying a so-called purebred," she added.

http://www.apunkachoice.com/content/article/sid100009280 pic_pamela_anderson_adopts_an_indian_homeless_puppy/

Mongoose hair brushes seized in Agra

Agra, May 1 (IANS) Hundreds of paint-brushes allegedly made from the hair of mongoose were seized from a shop here Monday evening."We are trying to find out about the supplier of these brushes," said Agra Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) P.K. Janu, whose team raided the shop, told IANS.

 

Mongoose is a protected animal in India and use of its hair is banned.However, there is no certainty that the brushes are made of the wild animal's hair.

 

"Posing as customers, we purchased the brushes from the paint shop. But we cannot say for sure whether these had mongoose hair till we get a laboratory report from the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun," said Agra Forest Ranger Y.P. Shukla.

 

But the United Nations-affiliated International Organisation for Protection of Animals (OIPA), which tipped off the forest department about the sale of the brushes, said it was sure mongoose hair were being used to make these brushes.

 

"On April 30, the OIPA India chapter received the information that in Agra, many hardware and paint shops were selling banned mongoose hair paint brushes. The Wildlife Trust of India's Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (under the ministry of environment and forest) was alerted along with the chief wildlife warden of Uttar Pradesh," Naresh Kadyan of OIPA told IANS.

 

"The DFO deputed his officials to conduct the raid on all shops along with a brush manufacturer in Shahgang. A paint shop was visited and 156 mongoose hair paint brushes were recovered," he added.

 

He said mongoose was a protected animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972."Hence, OIPA demands immediate arrest of offenders along with the recovery of mongoose hair paint brushes from all shops and manufacturing facilities," he said. 

http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/05/01/121--Mongoose-hair-brushes-seized-in-Agra-.html 

Emu farming draws governments attention

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Aussie bird emu, a recent favourite with poultry farmers in Kerala, is hogging some serious government ‘interest.’ Sensing an emu boom waiting to happen, government agencies have begun exploring the possibilities in farming the large flightless bird.

�State Government undertaking Meat Products of India (MPI) is establishing a 100-bird farm at Koothattukulam, primarily for meat. The State Animal Husbandry Department also plans to launch schemes this year to popularise emu farming.

�MPI expects to get the initial stock from the Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO), Hessargatta, Karnataka, and from private emu farmers in the state, MPI managing director Ani S Das said. MPI has found trials in freezing and cooking its meat successful, he said.

�‘’Emu farming is a few years old in the state but still, only private farms are in the business. There is demand for emu oil which is believed to have therapeutic value and its egg, but there is no market for the meat. Emu farming will really catch on only if the meat can be sold,’’ Ani S Das said.

�The meat has low fat content and despite its intimidating size, the Australian bird is not that difficult to care for, according to MPI. It can be fed poultry feed, kitchen waste or grains such as maize. Besides, it is reasonably disease resistant and can be bred in fenced-off open spaces.

�To have a closer look at emus, Animal Husbandry Minister K P Mohanan had visited Hessargatta. ‘’We are helping private emu farmers at present. The farm at Koothattukulam will also show us how compatible the birds are to our climate,’’ Mohanan said.

�Last year, the Animal Husbandry Department had purchased two emus from the Pondicherry University and kept them at its dairy farm at Kudappanakkunnu here on trial basis. This year, the department plans to increase the numbers and train farmers with the help of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, department director R Vijayakumar said. ‘’There is huge potential in emus. Though we don’t have a special scheme for emus at present, we are planning popularisation programmes this year,’’ Vijayakumar said. 

�State-run Kerala State Poultry Development Corporation (KEPCO) also has ‘emu plans,’ but will take the ‘plunge’ only after carefully studying the market, KEPCO managing director V Sunil Kumar said.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/emu-farming-draws-governments-attention/253836-60-123.html 

Poachers now prefer snares over firearms

It’s an old practice that seems to have made a comeback. The use of snares and traps to hunt wildlife had always been a conventional practice, one that had gradually given way to modern forms of poaching. But if numbers are anything to go by, these are emerging as a preferred form of catching wild animals in Karnataka. Over 80 traps and snares have been recovered or dismantled by the state forest department in Bandipur and Nagarhole national parks in the last three months.

The forest department has undertaken a major drive to tackle this menace by weeding out traps and snares from protected areas. Since the focus of anti-poaching drives usually is on well-equipped poachers, the simple yet deadly means are ignored. This move, says Jose Louies, programme manager with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), is a “‘significant poaching prevention plan, as the morning strollscarried out as part of this project also deters poachers.”

The forest department is being assisted in this endeavour by WTI, with support from the Care for the Wild International. The enforcement-related intelligence gathering is being done by a network of WTI informers. Voice for Wildlife, a Mysore-based group of lawyers, is also providing assistance to the state forest department.

There is no precise data available yet on the extent these snares and traps are used for wildlife hunting. The problem, says Louies, had always been there, but it is only now that the issue is coming to light. One of the possible reasons for this could be that poachers find usage of firearms to be an avoidable.

Sudheer K Shankar, lawyer and co-founder of Voice for Wildlife, says, “Earlier, snares and traps were primarily used for bushment (like pork). If an animal like a tiger or a leopard was caught, that would be a bonus. The trend, however, has changed considerably. In recent years, there have been many reports of big carnivores like tigers and leopards being caught by these devices.”

Snares, on the other hand, are both easy to make and hide (unlike a gun) and hard to detect as well. Snares/ traps do not require heavy investments either. One can install a snare and then keep on checking on it according to one’s convenience. The snare remains silent in the forest until an animal is trapped.

Those can remain undetected even by people passing by unless carefully looked for, or until an animal is trapped.

One of the reasons for this drive is that snares and traps are more dangerous than popularly perceived to be. They can both kill and amputate animals. Their usageis, of course, not peculiar to Karnataka - it is a problem across the country. Few people, however, are ostensibly worried since these are not “visible”. The Karnataka Forest Department is perhaps the first to realise the extent of this threat and has undertaken this initiative to mitigate the problem.

“I am glad that the threat is being taken seriously by the forest department. Instead of catching the culprits, this programme is a preventive practice,” says Shankar.

The modus operandi of the department includes strategically-planned walks to locate snares/traps placed by poachers. The details of the routes followed are kept secret. The “snare walks” are carried out by the Special Tiger Protection Force (a unit within forest department)members along with WTI staff, under the supervision of the park manager / director. Every snare recovered is GPS-tagged on a map and handed over to the range officer. 

Precise records are maintained.The process is not as easy as it sounds - anti-snare squads often have to crawl through animal trails to detect the contraptions.

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_poachers-now-prefer-snares-over-firearms_1683441