More evidence from GHMC Jeedimetla, GHMC Amberpet and GHMC Autonagar from June 2011

Adult monkey in a 12" high cage - sealed with wire with no way of opening it, can only squat or hunch

A set of volunteers including Anshu from Hyderabad visited 3 GHMC pounds unannounced in early June 2011. What the team found was shocking. While GHMC Jeedimetla was a decent pound, covered and there was food and water for the animals, the pounds at GHMC Amberpet and GHMC Autonagar were a whole different story. This was observed:

1. One could see cages out in the sun in one location and with a dog just out of ABC, still under anesthesia lying in pouring rain in another!  Subsequently the volunteers put together a temporary roof on a temporary shelter for the cages.
2. In the pounds all dog cages have a ‘floor’ made of metal grills with gaps so large dogs can’t stand
3. Most cages were crammed full of dogs and dogs had no choice but to stand on top of other dogs – dogs would occupy all the space including the water troughs.
4. GHMC Amberpet and GHMC Autonagar pounds did not have food for the animals kept in crammed cages.
5. Volunteers were carrying milk packets and bags of dog food – workers at the GHMC Autonagar pound were caught stealing milk bags from volunteers vehicles!
6. At GHMC Autonagar and GHMC Amberpet each cage had only 1 food bowl and when food was given to the dogs by the volunteers only 1 dog (the alpha in the makeshift pack) would eat and would not let others eat.
7. There were cages full of monkeys that were kept outside in the sun
8. At GHMC Amberpet the volunteers observed a van full of dogs right behind the pound when the pound was completely full. The volunteers were concerned on where these new dogs could be housed but no GHMC employee could provide a satisfactory explanation.
9. At GHMC Autonagar volunteers saw piles of animal bones behind the pound
10. At GHMC Autonagar – there were whelping mothers with puppies no more than a few weeks old at the both Amberpet and Autonagar pounds as well as the parked van at the Autonagar pound.

It was very disturbing for most volunteers when they engaged the AD at the pound his response was ‘this is the best run pound, so he did not understand what the problem was!’