More than 100 dogs ‘slaughtered’ in Karnataka village. Were they poisoned?

By the time the corpses were discovered, they had decayed to the extent that ascertaining the exact nature of death proved to be difficult. Even a veterinary forensic expert called in by the police was unable to ascertain the cause of their death because of the “decomposed nature of their bodies.”

Days after multiple dog carcasses were found buried near a forest at the Rangapura village in Karnataka's Shivamogga district, a preliminary police investigation suggested that the dogs were poisoned. Although the police have not provided an exact number yet, the probe indicated there could be more than 100 carcasses. Since there is little clarity on the exact cause of death, the police said that the possibility of the dogs having been poisoned has not been dismissed yet. By the time the corpses were discovered, they had decayed to the extent that ascertaining the exact nature of the death proved to be difficult. Even a veterinary forensic expert called in by the police was unable to ascertain the cause of their death because of the “decomposed nature of their bodies,” according to officials.

As multiple dog carcasses keep being recovered from the Karnataka village, the police suspected a planned act of selective slaughter, or culling.  (File Photo / HT)

The police suspect that local gram panchayat officials were involved in planning the heinous act. Officials of Bhadravati Rural police station, where a complaint has been registered under the Prevention of Animal Cruelties Act, 1960, said that local residents who observed some suspicious activity in the area informed a group involved in animal rescue who found the carcasses of dogs. The activists alleged that the gram panchayat officials contracted a private firm to kill dogs and that some dogs were buried alive as well.

Shivamogga animal rescue club member, GS Basava Prasad, told news agencies that they received a call three days ago from the villagers, who reported that 150 to 200 dogs had been buried alive in the forest area. “On receiving the information our team visited the place,” he said. “We got to know that village gram panchayat member president, panchayat development officer (PDO) all are involved in this case. Later, we came to know that the actual number of dogs buried alive was more than 300.”

According to the animal rescuers, the prescribed procedure, in this case, states that the villagers should actually have applied for an animal birth control tender. This includes operations wherein medical facilities are also provided for the animals. “But these people do not know anything about animal birth control,” Prasad said. “What they did was they caught all the dogs and dumped them alive in a small pond and closed it.”