Dog massacre in Telangana as over 500 strays killed after poll promises
A disturbing trend of mass killings of stray dogs has emerged in Telangana, with activists reporting over 500 dogs poisoned in Warangal and Kamareddy districts. FIRs have been registered against several sarpanches and their associates for allegedly administering lethal injections.
Warangal: The promise to eradicate the stray dog menace made during gram panchayat elections by newly elected sarpanches is proving costly for canine lives, with a disturbing trend of mass killing of stray dogs being reported from different parts of Telangana.
Animal activists have tracked several incidents in which as many as 500 stray dogs were killed with poisonous injections in Warangal and Kamareddy districts over the past few days. The carcasses were either buried in mass graves or dumped at the outskirts of villages.
Following complaints by the cruelty prevention manager of the Stray Animal Foundation of India, Adulapuram Goutham of Karimnagar, the Shayampet police in Warangal registered FIRs against the Shayampet sarpanch, the sarpanch’s husband Chinthala Ravi, the deputy sarpanch and the panchayat secretary, the Arepally sarpanch, the sarpanch’s husband Babu Rao and the panchayat secretary, besides two persons Nagaraju and Hanmanthu who allegedly administered poisonous injections to kill the dogs.
Similarly, Machareddy police in Kamareddy district registered FIRs against the sarpanches of Bhavanipet, Palwancha, Faridhpet, Wadi and Bandarameshwarpally, along with a person, Kishore Pandhey, who allegedly administered poisonous injections to stray dogs.
Speaking to Telangana Today, Goutham said he was tipped off about the mass killing of stray dogs in Warangal by Mahabubabad-based Stray Animal Foundation of India volunteer and YouTuber Deepika Pingeli.
Following the tip-off, he, along with volunteers Rajani Moola, Anitha Elaprolu and Falizana Begum, visited Shayampet and Arepally to verify the incidents. As many as 300 stray dogs were killed over three days on January 6, 7 and 8.
After the FIRs were registered, the bodies were exhumed from the mass burial sites and local veterinary doctors conducted postmortems on a few dogs. The reports are awaited, he said. In both incidents, the carcasses were either buried or disposed of near water bodies, which activists pointed out might lead to contamination of water.
Goutham said that after learning from a local resident that nearly 200 stray dogs were killed in Bhavanipet, Palwancha, Faridhpet, Wadi and Bandarameshwarpally villages by administering poisonous injections on January 6 and 11, he visited the villages to confirm the killings.
When contacted, Deepika said she telephoned the concerned sarpanches in Warangal and recorded the conversations in which they allegedly confessed to the killings, stating that they had promised villagers to address the stray dog menace and therefore killed the animals as they had no other choice.
Killing stray dogs with poisonous injections cannot be a solution. Strict action must be taken against those responsible to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. As the matter will go to court, the judiciary will take suitable action, she said.
Deepika further said that in Khammam’s Bonakal, Beeravelli, Kalakota and Repalle villages, local sarpanches have been capturing stray dogs and relocating them to nearby forest areas.
Goutham stated that Animal Birth Control is the only scientific and humane way to control the stray dog population. Failure to implement the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, along with inaction by local bodies, has contributed to the rise in stray dog numbers. He urged the State government to initiate mass sterilisation and mass Anti Rabies Vaccination programmes across Telangana.
