Mumbai: A stray dog from Colaba Police Colony who faced forced relocation to a shelter after a complaint from a senior police official, has found a home in Alibaug.
Animal Activists Protest Forced Relocation
Sandy, a six-year-old indie who is sterilised, was picked up from the colony on December 3 and sent to a Mahalaxmi shelter for vaccination after complaints that he was attacking children. On December 11, after a week of observation, he was returned to the colony. However, he was picked up the next day by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) workers and left at a municipal centre in Deonar.
Animal rights activists protested against Sandy’s relocation, calling it illegal as per the Supreme Court's order, Animal Welfare Board of India guidelines and The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Tanya Dsousa, who used to feed Sandy, filed a complaint at Cuffe Parade police station, saying that the dog was picked up after complaints from a Colaba police station staff member. "The dog was brought back after vaccination and returned home. There was no need to pick him up again,” said Dsousa who added that she was told by municipal officials to take Sandy away because he will not be safe in the colony.
According to Dsousa’s complaint, Sandy was facing abuse in the colony which led to nervous peeing. “He was adopted by a family from Colaba Police Colony in 2020 and lived with the family for one year as their house pet. Unfortunately in 2021 they stopped letting him into their quarters and he was left outside in the colony to fend for himself.
Roshan Pathak, animal rights advisor at Pure Animal Lovers (PAL) Foundation said, “Although the BMC representative has verified that the dog is healthy, there is pressure to relocate him. BMC officials are attempting to coerce a feeder to move a dog; if the dog was not relocated, they would not have released the dog at all. A beloved dog that has been uprooted from his original home is staying in a rural house as a result of BMC's action,” said Pathak.
Police and BMC Cite Safety Concerns
The police official named in Dsousa’s complaint, alleged that Sandy had bit children in the colony. “I am a responsible officer. I complained on behalf of 160 families in the colony. The dog bit my child. The feeder threatened that an FIR will be filed against me. Who will be responsible if the dog bites people? The feeder does not stay here. I am an animal lover and have cared for litter at my earlier residence,” the police official said.
Dr Kalimpasha Pathan, head of BMC veterinary health department and the Deonar abattoir, said there were complaints about the dog having bit children. “That is why it was caught. The feeder went to the dog kennel and filled the form to adopt the animal,” said Pathan.
Pathak, however, said there are no medical records of the dog having bit children. “The veterinary department ignored our pleas to release the dog as municipal officials have verified that it is healthy. They released the dog only after the feeder said that it will be taken to a farmhouse,” said Pathak.
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