In another ghastly instance of mass extermination, 35 dogs were found slaughtered in Uthukottai town, over 60 km from the city, on Wednesday. Dawn Williams, general manager of the Blue Cross of India, said he received information that the town panchayat had been killing dogs since Tuesday, and were in the process of killing many more.
“I rushed to the spot and found several men injecting dogs with lethal injections. Thirty-five dogs have died. We managed to rescue four who are being treated at the Madras Veterinary College,” he said.
“They killed 80 dogs yesterday and have buried them near the Andhra Pradesh border. They didn’t even spare the puppies,” said a resident of the town. The bodies of the dogs were taken to the pathology department of Madras Veterinary College for post-mortem examinations and a police complaint has been lodged.
Uthukottai police said a case had been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code as well as other acts.
“In neighbouring towns, the dog menace was curbed through sterilisation. That is a far more humane way to deal with the problem,” said a resident who witnessed the killings.