Animal rights activist urges BMC to take immediate action for sterilization and vaccination of stray dogs in Mumbai | Representational Image
Mumbai: Animal rights activist has alleged irregularities in the sterlisation and vaccination activities for stray dogs carried out by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The activist has also alleged the civic body of relocating stray dogs by claiming that it picks up dogs for sterlisation but fails to drop them at their original location.
Just two days after three dogs were found dead in the premises of Cooper Hospital in Juhu, Roshan Pathak, legal advisor with PAL Foundation, who was the complainant in the case, has written to the BMC chief raising concerns about the corporation’s work related to sterilisation and vaccination of stray animals. Pathak claimed that BMC staff tried to pick up dogs in the vicinity to be sterilised without proper documentation, resulting to citizens being unaware about the whereabouts of the animals.
Pathak alleged that he has come across reports from animal caregivers that BMC picks up dogs but fails to return them to the same location. He alleged that issues related to animal cruelty have been repeatedly neglected by BMC despite significant public outcry. He also added that the BMC becomes active only after an incident of cruelty occurs.
Pathak cited multiple instances of animal cruelty including death of 26 dogs at NESCO Centre in Goregaon in July 2024 and 14 dogs brutally killed and their bodies thrown away in the drains in Kandivali in November. He alleged that even after such tragic incidents, BMC has failed to vaccinate the dogs in these areas.
The animal rights activist urged the BMC to come up with a process for safely picking up and relocating the dogs after a thorough survey is conducted to assess the number of dogs in each area, while also ensuring adherence to Animal Birth Control guidelines. He demanded the BMC to take immediate actions to carry out sterilisation and vaccination without further delay.
“It is unfair that these innocent animals suffer due to others’ negligence and failure to carry out their duties properly. The root cause of many of these cruelty cases can be avoided with timely sterilization and vaccination efforts. It is the BMC’s responsibility to take proactive, preventive measures to protect animal welfare and reduce the stray dog population. There are designated personnel in every area for such purposes, yet there has been a consistent lack of proactive action,” read the letter written by Pathak.
