Over the last fortnight, someone who wanted to get rid of stray dogs allegedly poisoned several dogs to death on the banks of the Peechi canal. In their death throes, some of the canines who ate the poisoned bait apparently fell into the canal, and their bodies lay there in the water — the prime source of water for the Government Medical College Hospital in Thrissur and households in the area.
Since stray dogs dying generally escape popular concern, this came to light only after four pet dogs that had chewed on meat waste dumped along the canal side in the Gramala area at Mulankunnathukavu died hours later.
One of the dog owners, C.K. Ravi, lodged a complaint with the police on May 31, in which he accused a Chinese potato farmer in the vicinity of setting the poisoned meat trap to get rid of stray dogs.
Bigger concern
A bigger concern stems from the fact that the putrid dog carcasses found on the canal bed could contaminate drinking water in the neighbourhood and at the hospital, as water has just been released into the canal from Peechi reservoir. “It appears that several dogs had been killed there in this manner,” said Sally Kannan, honorary animal welfare officer of the Animal Welfare Board of India and outreach coordinator of the India chapter of Human Society International.
Ms. Kannan, who photographed decaying dog carcases inside the canal, insists that it posed serious health hazards to those drinking the water. “But no one is paying much attention,” she said.
Mr. Ravi had walked his dog up to a bridge on the canal on May 23 when it savoured a chomp of meat found on the canal side. “It vomited and died in the evening.” A distraught Ravi said his family had treated the 7-year-old canine like their own baby.
P.P. Joy, the sub-inspector of the Thrissur Medical College station, said the police had registered a case under sections pertaining to contaminating water; polluting water in a way that triggers contagious diseases, and causing general environmental pollution.
Relevant sections of the Act to prevent cruelty against animals have also been invoked. The police were awaiting the post-mortem and chemical analysis reports to ascertain the cause of dog death, he said.
