7 stray dogs found dead in 3 days

Ajay Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 29

With the city wearing a deserted look due to the Covid-19 pandemic, stray dogs are apparently roaming around in search of food and are dying of starvation. As many as seven dogs were found dead in various residential localities in the past three days and the number of deaths is going up.

An animal rights activist said around three such cases were being reported on a daily basis. Many go unreported.

Confined to their homes, residents are also finding it difficult to feed the stray dogs and the shortage of supplies was only making things worse. Besides people, coronavirus has also impacted stray animals hugely. The primary risk most animals face is starvation.

Reporting about the death of three puppies in two days, Neeraj Kumar, a resident of Janta Colony, said: “The three-month old puppies initially showed symptoms of weakness for the past two days and when food was given, they barely moved their bodies and could not eat anything. Earlier too, three puppies died due to the same reason. Though we fed the puppies when we spot them but unavailability of food and water led to their death. Besides, none of the administration or municipal corporation worker visited the area during the lockdown to feed the stray dogs. Adult dogs had also started showing similar symptoms.”

Yuvi Singh, who runs an NGO, Animal Protection Foundation, in the city, said they had been receiving several calls these days regarding illness and starvation among dogs. He, after burying a dog at a residential colony today, said it was unfortunate that stray animals were being dying of hunger.

Another animal rights activist Prabhjot Kaur said recent dog death cases were reported from the Focal Point and Industrial Area. She urged residents to approach the administration or NGOs if they find any dog in such a situation. Besides, the canines were also reportedly found dying of ‘Parvo’, a viral disease among stray animals.