GHMC Hyderabad is just getting worse for the dogs

The mother who littered at the pound, without food or water

On the morning of 23rd Aug 2011 Vijayadevi Mamidi, Kalyan and Shruti visited the GHMC Autonagar dog pound. This was as a follow up of their previous visit which had exposed the death trap that the GHMC Autonagar dog pound is < see previous article>. The reports of the present report, as well as the previous visit, have been shared with the Municipal Commissioner and the Mayor of Hyderabad. A notice was served by AWBI on the basis of  the previous , but little seems to have changed for all the noise that was made. [Video and picture gallery at the bottom of the page]

• Whelping mothers caught with ropes: As the volunteers entered the Autonagar road they saw a large crowd around a GHMC van. GHMC dog catchers were catching dogs with ropes (see picture) – this is strictly against ABC (Dog) Rules and AWBI SOP. On being asked why ropes where being used when it is illegal the workers maintained that ropes were being used since their nets were spoiled. However nets, fully intact, could clearly be seen with the dog catchers and in the van. The dog that was caught was a whelping mother. On being confronted by the volunteers the GHMC workers cut the rope – and she ran away with the rope noose still around her neck. She was later joined by the puppies.
• No change in 2 weeks: As the volunteers entered the pound they saw the same scene from before – starving dogs with no water and food, non-operated and operated showcase dogs, injured dogs with no medical attention,  whelping mothers with puppies, cages crammed with dogs, dead dogs lying in cages.
• Juveniles and puppies for ABC: On entering the pound one could see cages stuffed with dogs & pups and juvenile dogs
  

  People in Autonagar verified that GHMC is using ropes to catch dogs in the locality

  brought in for ABC procedure.

• Starvation disease death: One dog was dead, apparently of startavation, its stiff body clearly showing that death had occured a few hours if at least not a day back. The staff had not even noticed this till they were specifically told about this particular cage and this dog.
• Whelping mother and pups: As they entered the 2nd shed they saw a whelping mother with her pups a few days old. The workers said that she was pregnant when brought and had littered in the pound! Sensing that the puppies were in danger at the risk of infections at that place the volunteers requested that they call Blue Cross, so that the mother and puppies would be taken care by the Blue Cross of Hyderabad. At that time one of the staff members called Dr. P.Rama Krishna Rao and he talked on phone to Mrs. Vijayadevi. He was upset at the volunteer visit and said that they would rather “let the female and the puppies die rather than hand it over to the ****** Blue Cross”.
• Food for dogs and bowls: Seeing the lack of cooperation, lack of food and feeding bowls full of excreta and urine, the volunteers went back to the market to get some food bowls and food. Since it was early morning the volunteers could only procure plastic bowls as an interim measure, and procured 60 bowls. On returning they were joined in by  Dr. P. Rama Krishna Rao (Vet office) &  Dr. M. Kiran Kumar (Asst. Director GHMC). They were emphatic that no food could be given to dogs without the permission of the CVO. The food was then forcibly taken away from the volunteers.
• Aggressive, threatening GHMC staff: Both Dr. P. Rama Krishna Rao (Vet office) &  Dr. M. Kiran Kumar (Asst. Director GHMC) then started threatening the volunteers for giving complaints against them and were abusive and threatening. They said quote, ‘Stupid volunteers are not allowed to help any animals and we can complain to Commissioner or Blue Cross or PFA or anybody else and they don’t care’. All 3 volunteers were threatened with the volunteers’ ‘bones being broken if they entered the pound again’.  Dr. P. Rama Krishna Rao (Vet office) &  Dr. M. Kiran Kumar (Asst. Director GHMC) were joined by the GHMC staff and the crowd was very intimidating, threatening and aggressive towards the volunteers. They pushed out the volunteers from the premises of the GHMC

The state of affairs at the GHMC dog pound can be gauged not only from the accompanying video and photo accounts, but also that government officials who’s duty and responsibility it is to take care of the animals chose to relinquish that responsibility and behave like street fighters!