VELLORE: In a shocking incident, 40 dogs (both stray and at least one pet) were poisoned to death, allegedly by a farmer at Pasumathur near K V Kuppam.
According to sources, villagers were finding carcasses of stray dogs inside the village since Saturday. During the weekend, one B Kathiravan, an employee in Chennai had come home. On Sunday night, he found his dog unconscious with a foaming mouth at a coconut grove. He rushed his pet to the hospital, where doctors declared it dead.
When he questioned the villagers, he came to know that Vallavan, a farmer, had allegedly fed dogs with poison-laced meat.
Kathiravan said, “Two chickens of Vallavan had died a week ago. Suspecting that they were killed by strays, he bought a large quantity of meat and laced it with ‘kokku’. He then strategically placed the poison-laced meat at street corners, farm lands, old buildings and shops. Since Saturday, dog’s have been dropping like nine pins.” He then informed the local animal activists and lodged a complaint with K V Kuppam Police.
S Ramesh, co coordinator of New World Animal Rescue Charitable Trust, said till Monday with the help of locals they have recovered 40 carcasses. We are checking the entire village to see if more dogs have died, he added. On Tuesday, veterinarians from Gudiyattam Veterinary dispensary came to Pasumathur and conducted an autopsy.
Neela Megam, K V Kuppam SI, said any action against Vallavan can only be initiated after confirming that cause of the death of dogs.