NILGIRIS: A few dog owners in Kalhatty Road near Thalaikundha have adopted a dangerous method of fixing collars having sharp nails on pets in an attempt to protect them from being attacked by carnivorous animals.
N Kannan, a bird enthusiast, spotted three dogs with the nail collar near the check post on Kalhatty Road when he was on his way to Masinagudi recently. When Kannan inquired with the dog owners, he was told that they employ the crude/cruel method to protect the animals from leopards. According to experts, a leopard or tiger bites the prey in the back of the neck. Also, dogs become easy prey for leopards when they are hungry or when it cannot hunt deer.
Expressing shock over what he came across, Kannan told TNIE “I was shocked to find sharp nails in the collar. I approached the dog owners and advised them to remove it. But they told me they would not as they were not ready to lose the dog to a leopard. I explained to them that the collar will cause severe harm to the predators, but they did not accept my view. Further, they told me to ask forest officials to prevent leopards from entering residential areas.”
N Sadiq Ali, founder of wildlife and nature conservation trust (WNCT) said Thalaikundha had an abundance of leopards. “We do not know if any leopard was injured by the nails. The forest department should conduct an inspection and impose a fine on the dog owners, besides removing the collar.”