Condition of injured pony in Salem turned serious

The pony, which suffered grievous injuries in an acid attack, is struggling for life in Salem on Saturday.

One of the two ponies, which suffered serious burn injuries following an acid attack on them by a few miscreants here, last month, is on the verge of death here on Saturday.

A foal, which she gave birth a week ago, had died of malnutrition. “The mother due to injuries from the burning acid could not stand up and feed her,” said its owner Habib Basha, a horse-driven cart owner of three decades in the city.

The pony for the last three days had refused to take fodder and even water. A piece of white cloth was draped on its back to cover up her gaping wounds on her back. The acid had eaten major portion of her skin and caused deep lesions causing severe pain. She had been left in the open at Sivadapuram here since she had started stinking.

Reacting to the reports appeared in

`The Hindu’ in this connection, a Chennai-based animal activists’ group, Elsa Foundation, took up the cause and requested a team of veterinarians to provide medical assistance to the animals. For the past one month they are treating these two animals.

“But for the last 3 to 4 days, no doctor has turned up and the condition of this pony has deteriorated,” Mr. Basha told `The Hindu’ on Saturday. The other pony which had also suffered injuries in the acid attack which took place while grazing in the near-by Panankadu last month, and its new-born, however, were, hale and healthy.

A group of miscreants poured acid on these two ponies causing serious burns, when they were out on grazing. Both of them were pregnant at that time of attack and the one in serious condition had suffered third-degree burns all over the body.

Animal activists claimed that despite requests, the Kondalampatti police in Salem Rural were yet to register a case and arrest those who were behind this act of cruelty.