Dog shelter under scanner in Bangalore

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Link: http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?

category=National & id=101974

 

Dog shelter under scanner in Bangalore

 

Maya Sharma

 

Saturday, March 10, 2007 (Bangalore):

 

 

After two young children in Bangalore died on being bitten by dogs,

the city corporation has been under pressure from a section of the

city to quickly remove stray dogs from the streets.

 

Two days ago, when an NDTV team visited a dog shelter in the city, it

found the shelter overcrowded, with some dogs even left in the vans

in which they were collected.

 

Today, the situation has slightly improved as the shelter has finally

stopped accepting the animals.

 

" No dogs are coming in. For the past 48 hours we have stopped

operation and no dogs are being brought in. As far as CUPA is

concerned - and we are concerned - the situation appears to be little

better as we are not bringing any dogs and queries have reduced, "

said Bala Subramanyam, Manager, Dog Pound.

 

" Lot of people are coming in here looking for their animal and a few

have been able to trace it. Whichever dogs that have come here have

been kept safe here, " he added.

 

Reports of mass indiscriminate killing of dogs disturbed residents

who cared about animal welfare.

 

It has even prompted the Governor of the state T N Chaturvedi to

write to the chief minister asking for a scientific approach towards

dealing with the situation, rather than what he described as a knee

jerk reaction and saying that all life was precious.

 

SMSes and e-mails have been doing the rounds, talking of inhumane

large scale culling.

 

Corporation officials say that this is just not true and that only

violent and very sick dogs are being euthanised. But they do say that

there are dogs still being kept and fed in the vans in which they are

caught.