Two days after taking a controversial decision on catching stray dogs and releasing them in the Muthathi forest, the City Municipal Council (CMC) on Friday announced that it would abide by the Supreme Court’s direction and laws pertaining to animals while conducting the drive against stray dogs.
CMC members in the general body meeting held on Wednesday, had unanimously decided to release stray dogs in Muthathi forest area, which falls under the Cauvery Wildlife Zone. All 35 councillors, including the CMC president B. Siddaraju, had announced that they were ‘ready to go to jail’ if animal rights activists oppose the CMC’s move.
The Cauvery Wildlife Zone has at least five tigers and a good number of elephants, leopards and other wild animals.
Releasing stray dogs in the forest area is a clear violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and hence animal right activists have been opposing the CMC’s operation against stray dogs since past several weeks.
The CMC has already released 1,050 dogs in the forest.
According to a release from the Information Department on Friday, the CMC has decided to abide by the existing laws/Act during the drive against stray dogs.
