Madness in Mumbai

This is truly shocking and must be stopped!

In the fourth case of its kind in the western suburbs in the span of a month, a stray dog was found with its eyes gouged out in Andheri’s Lokhandwala Complex. Animal lover Durga Rai, who rescued the animal, said, “The dog must have been in the middle of mating when someone shoved a sharp bamboo-like stick into his eyes. He was in a state of utter shock when I found him blinded, with one blood-tainted eyeball hanging out, in the Jogeshwari market, where he has grown up.” The dog is being treated by the NGO Karuna now. “I first saw the wounded dog around three weeks back, and immediately called up Karuna, which works for the cause of animals. But the shocked dog must have wandered around the area, because we could not find him thereafter for a long time. We finally found him on Sunday at the Jogeshwari-Lokhandwala crossing. Karuna volunteers are now administering medicine and treating the dog,” said Rai. “On Tuesday, I will take him to the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA), which has the facilities to treat such a serious wound. There are already three such dogs at the BSPCA,” Rai added.

Kaalu, found on October 27: Kaalu, a seven-year-old dog from the Poonam Nagar area of Andheri (East), was the first victim to be found this month. According to Dr Yuvraj Kaginkar, hospital manager of BSPCA, “Kaalu was hit hard on his head, which affected his eyesight. Following the shock of losing his eyesight, he started walking haphazardly and banging into objects in his way. That is how he injured his nose and mouth. Durga Rai brought him to us a couple of weeks ago.” “I first tried treating him. But he was just not able to come out of his shock. Attempts to fence him, so that he would not hit anything, did not help. His eyes started turning blue, and I brought him to BSPCA,” said Rai. Kaalu, a strong and sturdy stray, used to be the first to bark at suspicious strangers in the locality, said Rai. “But he is a very friendly dog and has never bitten anyone. He came as a pup to this area and has grown before us. His form may have scared people, but nothing justifies the torture.”

Chotu, found on October 29: Seven-month-old Chotu is the youngest of the victims. He was found in Borivli around 20 days ago, covered in boiling tar, stuck to the road along with another pup. “Fresh tar was being spread on a stretch of road in Borivli and no dog would go so close to the heat. The puppies were pushed into the hot, boiling tar where they got stuck. One of our volunteers, Milan, managed to pull them out from the spot. He said the puppies were so badly stuck to the tar that it was a difficult job. When I saw them, they were totally covered in tar, even their anus was blocked,” said Fizzah Shah, who works with In Defence of Animals (IDA). “Although Chotu survived, the other pup lost the battle. Doctors at SPCA operated on Chotu. One of his eyes burst, and the cornea came out during the surgery because of the charcoal heat he had suffered. He cannot remain forever at BSPCA. We hope somebody adopts Chotu now,” added Shah, stressing she has never seen this kind of cruelty in the course of her work.

Lalu, found on November 3: Five days after Chotu was found, Lalu, a quiet, timid and friendly dog in the locality was subjected to the same fate. The dog was lying in front of the local milk vendor’s shop where the milkman spotted him and informed Rai. “I could not believe anybody could do this to Lalu. He had been gagged, as the marks around his mouth suggested, and his eyes were jabbed with something really sharp. When I saw him, his eyes were bleeding,” said Rai. “The force with which Lalu’s eyes were jabbed, his eyesight will not come back,” said Dr Yuvraj, who is treating him.

Doctor speaks “All the dogs are on vitamins and antibiotics now. They are being treated and we will also call in an eye-specialist soon,” said Dr Kaginkar. “The BSPCA has appointed welfare inspectors to investigate these cases. If we get some support, we will also hire a detective agency to work with them to help nab the culprits,” he added. “In all these cases, unknown persons are not doing the job. Children playing with catapults and harassing dogs is one thing, but these are serious injuries inflicted by heavy blows which only adults can deliver. Dogs will not go close to people they don’t know, so the culprits have to be from the same area. These people attack the dogs with sharp instruments and stab them in the eyes or hit their heads with a rod or something when they come close,” said Dr Kaginkar.“This is happening because there is a lack of awareness about stray dogs. People are scared of rabies, but they need to know that a dog with the corner of the ear cut has been vaccinated. If some people are scared of stray dogs, they should inform NGOs or organisations like ours. When we conduct the sterilisation operation, we also vaccinate dogs against rabies. Stabbing dogs or gouging their eyes out is not the solution,” he added.