‘Animal lover’ PTR steps in after 49 dogs die in IIT Madras shelter – The New Indian Express

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Forty-nine dogs have died in IIT Madras’s shelter over a ten-month period triggering sharp reactions from animal rights groups and the matter has now reached finance minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan who is a known animal lover.

The minister had rescued a female Indie dog with a broken leg in front of the secretariat in July, gave treatment for seven weeks and announced last week on Twitter that she was now part of his family.

Various faculty and alumni of IIT Madras had written to the minister raising concerns about dog deaths and the condition of other dogs in the shelter following which he asked authorities to conduct a detailed clinical investigation and submit a report.
 
A chain of email communication was exchanged between Additional Chief Secretary TS Jawahar, Director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences (AH&VS), A Gnanasekharan, who is also the member secretary of Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board, and the IIT Madras administration.

The emails, accessed by The New Indian Express, show a six-member joint committee was constituted to inspect the IIT Madras dog shelter, which includes Shruthi Vinodh Raj, animal activist and member of the hospital committee of Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS).

A committee member told The New Indian Express the inspection was scheduled on August 2, but had to be postponed after IIT Madras objected to Shruthi, a non-official, being part of the inspection committee. However, Additional Chief Secretary TS Jawahar had written a strongly-worded letter to IIT Madras saying, “The committee formed by Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board is an official committee and none of its members may be considered as a third party. Any hindrance caused to the functioning of the duly constituted committee may attract legal consequences.”   

Gnanasekaran said the committee visited the shelter on August 10 and submitted a report, which said 49 dogs died due to various reasons between September 2020 and July 2021. “Of the 49 dogs, 29 had died due to senility and the remaining 20 died due to various medical conditions and 14 more were found to be weak undergoing treatment in separate enclosures. The committee suggested that IIT Madras improve the management and health status of the dogs,” said the report.

Besides, the committee in its report has called for a death audit and postmortem of the dogs to be undertaken by the veterinary wing of the TANUVAS as the number of deaths was on the higher side. Meanwhile, Gnanasekaran suggested that IIT Madras form a committee of animal lovers and feeders from within the campus community and give access to the dog shelter to ensure transparency and negate all speculation regarding the health and well-being of the dogs.

In September last year, IIT Madras had impounded over 160 stray dogs, which they claim are responsible for the drastic fall in deer and blackbuck population in the campus.   

In response, IIT Madras registrar Jane Prasad said there used to be more than 600 deer and blackbucks, many of which were chased and killed by these feral dogs in the last five years. “Some of them were very aggressive and were found biting human beings also. Deer deaths due to dog bites considerably reduced after the dogs were sheltered. The number of humans bitten by dogs also considerably reduced,” she said.

The registrar told the committee that the IIT Madras administration will not take in any new dogs inside the shelter and necessary action will be taken against persons who abandon dogs within the campus.