COIMBATORE: Thirteen dogs out of the 16 kept in cages at a private dog breeding centre at Sivagami Nagar near Vadavalli died in a fire accident on Saturday. Three dogs which suffered severe burn injuries are under treatment in nearby centres.
According to police, the centre maintains and sells popular breeds from a rented building. On Saturday a fire broke out in the compouud and spread to the cages that were covered by dry coconut fronds. Police said the premises was poorly maintained and suspect it to be the cuase of the accident. The plants around the cages had dried up and the centre owners reportedly placed dried coconut fronds on the top of the cages to shield the dogs from heat. Around 2 pm on Saturday, the dog keeper locked the premises and went out to buy meat to prepare lunch.
While he was away, the dry plants around the cages caught fire . As the cages were locked, the dogs could not get out and were charred to death. Neighbours tried to douse the fire alerted the fire and rescue services department. By the time the team arrives, 13 dogs died.
Even as Vadavalli police began probe, animal activists who inspected the place lodged complaints with the police asking them to investigate the cause of the mishap and to initiate action against those who run the center with poor infrastructure.
Based on their complaint, Vadavalli police booked a cases against the owners Naveen and Paul Selwyn under section 11 (1)(g) (Habitually chaining up of a pet dog by an owner) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act on Sunday. The two are absconding.