CHENNAI: Animal activists staged a protest on Monday at the Ripon Buildings, demanding accountability from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) over alleged negligence in Animal Birth Control (ABC) surgeries at its Pulianthope pound.
Protesters accused the ABC centre’s veterinarian of conducting botched surgeries and failing to provide adequate post-operative care, leading to the deaths of several dogs.
A 54-year-old dog feeder recounted that four dogs he cared for in Kilpauk were taken to the ABC center on May 11. After their release on May 14, one dog developed severe abdominal swelling and died at the pound the following day due to an infection.
Another dog also died a few days after surgery, bleeding heavily en route to a clinic. One dog went missing, and only one dog survived after emergency treatment at a government veterinary hospital, he said
Activist E Martina highlighted that such cases are not isolated, citing poor surgical practices and lack of basic blood tests and post-operative care across GCC pounds, including in Kannammapet.
Mayor R Priya met the protesters and assured action. Later in the day, Additional Commissioner of Health, V Jaya Chandra Bhanu Reddy, inspected the Pulianthope ABC facility.
Dogs at the Pulianthope pound were found with puppies, raising concerns that pregnant dogs had been captured for sterilisation surgeries. Animal activists are demanding an immediate halt to all such procedures until qualified veterinarians are appointed at the pound.