1500 Community Dogs Poisoned to Meet Poll Promise: PETA
According to the organisation, the animals were often poisoned in broad daylight
HYDERABAD: A memorial billboard at Nayapul circle here alleges that more than 1,500 community dogs were poisoned across multiple districts in Telangana in what was described as a coordinated attempt to create “dog-free” villages.
“The sheer scale and apparent coordination of these poisonings is horrifying. These dogs were mothers, babies, friends — all individuals who suffered and felt pain and did not want to die,” said Shaurya Agrawal, policy associate at PETA India.
The display, erected by PETA along High Court Road in Ghansi Bazaar, features the image of a dog and cites killings reported from Jagtial, Hanamkonda, Kamareddy, Rangareddy and Nirmal districts. According to the organisation, the animals were often poisoned in broad daylight.
PETA alleges that the killings were carried out to fulfil an election promise to make certain villages “dog-free.” It contends that such actions violate the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, which mandate sterilisation and return of community dogs, and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which prohibits killing.
Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 makes the maiming or killing of any animal, including by poisoning, a cognisable offence punishable with imprisonment of up to five years, a fine, or both. The group has called for prosecution of those responsible.
Agrawal warned that the violence signals “a profound moral collapse that can even lead to violence towards humans and other animals.” PETA cited a study in Forensic Research & Criminology International Journal which found that individuals who engage in cruelty to animals were three times more likely to commit other crimes, including murder, rape, robbery and assault.