Strays starve to death after employees go on 10-day leave without making arrangements for the ailing canines
The stray dogs had been brought to Utkarsh Star Mitra Mandal in Vasai for treatment but allegedly didn't receive any. Pics/Hanif Patel
Utter carelessness on part of Vasai's animal birth control centre staff has killed five stray dogs. The canines starved to death after the animal centre employees took off on a 10-day leave for Diwali. The incident came to light after an animal lover visited the centre and shot a video of the pitiable condition the animals had been left in. After the video went viral, an animal NGO approached the police, seeking action against the centre's operator under Cruelty to Animals Act.
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The incident happened at Utkarsh Star Mitra Mandal, authorised for animal birth control by the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation. There have been many complaints against the centre over unqualified staff and unhygienic conditions in which the animals are kept without proper food and water for days, but authorities have ignored all grievances.
Last breaths
On November 6, animal lover Arti Khurana visited the centre and found three dogs dead and decomposed and no staff on the premises. When she asked around, she was told all of them had gone on Diwali leave. These dogs had been brought to the centre for treatment, but they didn't receive that either. She immediately recorded a video and shared it on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
Three days later, on November 9, other animal lovers and members of the NGO visited the centre and found two more dogs dead. The staff present refused to answer their queries, and hence, they all rushed to Mankipur police station and reported the incident, requesting the police to take necessary action and register an FIR against the centre operator, said District Animal Welfare Board of India's officer Nitesh Jain.
When D R Londhe, general secretary of the Mandal, came to know about this, he allegedly dumped the carcasses at Kora Kendra dumping site near Fountain hotel, before police's arrival. It was only thanks to the animal lovers' and NGO members' intervention that the cops were able to recover the carcasses and send them to the animal hospital for a post-mortem.
In defence
Londhe justified that four dogs had rabies and one was suffering from a viral infection. "On November 5, two dogs died due to rabies; their bodies were supposed to be disposed of the next day, but the staff on duty had an emergency at their homes and had to leave immediately. Other employees were on their way to office. All these allegations are baseless; we are being maligned by some people who are against us," he said. "There is a requirement of an isolation ward on the premises for the critically ill animals, but we haven't received anything from the corporation. We have been sending timely reminders to civic officials, but there has been no response."
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