CHENNAI: An illegal animal boarding facility functioning under pathetic conditions in the middle of a residential locality in Kattupakkam was busted on Thursday and 14 malnourished dogs bearing multiple injuries and skin infections were rescued. Independent animal rescuers and members of the Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board with the help of police shifted the dogs, including three puppies, to two shelters for necessary care and immediate treatment.
TNIE visited this boarding facility run by Swarna Priya, who allegedly took a five-bedroom residential house for rent in November last year. All the rooms, terrace and corridor of the 3,000 sq.ft house were stinking with dogs’ poop, urine and rotten food. It seemed like nobody had cleaned the house for the past several months. All the dogs were locked inside the house and forced to live under extremely inhume conditions. They had open wounds that were infected with fleas and ticks. One dog was in advanced stage of pregnancy.
Madan Kumar, who lives next door and first lodged a police complaint in February, said there were close to 30 dogs in the house at one point. “The noise and stink were unbearable. My children used to often fall sick because of the conditions there,” he said.
The owner of the house in question, Dr V Krithika, told TNIE that she also lodged a complaint at Poonamallee police station as Priya was avoiding her calls and refusing to vacate the house. “The rental agreement signed was clear on the matter that the house was given for residential use, not for any commercial purpose,” she added.
Of the 14 dogs rescued, seven belonged to Kamya Suri, who claims to have fed them since seven years ago. She was forced to move them to the boarding facility due to an issue at her apartment complex. “I was paying Priya Rs 20,000 per month, 200 kg of rice and 10 kg of chicken every week to take care of my dogs. Things were fine when I last visited the place in April first week,” she said.
Monica Nelson, an independent rescuer who raised alarm about the issue, told TNIE that Priya, Kamya, the Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board and the police are all equally culpable for negligence and dereliction of their duties. “Authorities were aware of the illegality of facility since February, but no action was taken until a video went viral on social media. The rescue was delayed and even now the police have not filed an FIR in the case,” Monica charged.
What was happening in the boarding facility was nothing but animal cruelty and the police should have filed FIR under the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act, 1960. Shruti Vinodhraj, member of Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board, said the board has been receiving numerous complaints regarding animal boarding facilities, where large number of pets are being boarded. She said, “In the last six months, we received five complaints. This is a huge grey area since there are no specific rules or guidelines governing these facilities. The board will work on initiating a licensing mechanism.”
Meanwhile, animal rights activist Antony Clement Rubin has sent a representation to the state government on this same issue. “Presently, pet boarding facilities are run by unqualified individuals. These facilities lack adequate space, sanitation, medical facilities and trained professionals. There were cases of even pets being beaten to death. It is important that the government regulate these facilities under Section 38 of the PCA Act with immediate effect.”