GUWAHATI, May 9 - A number of stray dogs found dead � suspected to be poisoned by miscreants � in various localities of the city in the past few days has evoked concern and anguish among animal lovers and animal rights activists.
The topic became the talk of the town on social media when a puppy was found dead at Chandmari last night within a few hours after a stray dog, purportedly mad, created panic among the public in the city by biting nearly 50 people.
�These incidents may not be false. Because all those who posted such incidents on social media are animal lovers, as I know them. But we are not sure whether those dogs died due to poisoning or not, as there is lack of a proper system to carry out immediate post-mortem surgery of such animals in the city,� said Sasanka Sekhar Dutta, official of Just Be Friendly (JBF).
According to Dutta, it is a common tendency among the people to kill stray dogs by poisoning their food, if an attack by such animals is reported in a locality.
Appealing to the public not to get themselves involved in such cruel acts, Dutta said, �Poisoning cannot control or eliminate the population of stray dogs in a city. The only way to control their numbers is through sterilisation.�
JBF, in collaboration with the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), is carrying out a sterilisation drive of stray dog for the past few months. According to GMC, around 3,000 stray dogs have been sterilised so far.
Animal activist Rashmi Choudhury, who is a software engineer by profession and �admin� of social media group �Rescues and Pets: Guwahati� said, �I came to know that for the past few days poisoning of stray dogs has been going on in many areas of the city such as Chandmari, Panjabari, Panbazar, etc. In the incident reported last night from Chandmari, we were trying to carry out the post-mortem surgery of the dog, but the GMC already picked up the carcass before we could reach the spot.�
The Paw Foundation, an NGO working for animals, urged animal lovers through a social media post to pick up and safely dispose any suspicious food items which are easily available to stray dogs. �Make sure that the disposed food will not be available to any animal and also check for any animal nearby which needs immediate attention. If you find any, please take it to the nearest vet,� it said.
Sangita Goswami of People for Animals said that in the last one month the Canine Distemper disease has claimed the lives of a number of stray dogs in the city. �This is the season for the disease and we found many stray dogs affected by it. It is an air-borne disease and spreads very easily. Stray dogs are the main victims of this disease as they are not vaccinated,� she added.
