In a gross violation of animal rights, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) dog catching squad on Saturday attempted to catch a bitch, which has been nursing three pups, for sterilisation from Dattawadi area. Following the intervention of environment activist Vinod Jain and angry residents, the bitch and her pups were rescued.

Jain claimed that the PMC’s health department has been violating the law by catching dogs without conducting a survey and releasing strays in areas other than where they were caught. Jain’s attention was drawn towards the incident after he spotted the squad searching for strays in Dattawadi.

He said 3-4 members of the squad started chasing the bitch with a net. They ignored the wailing pups, he said. The bitch sought refuge under a car. However, she fell prey to them when she came out to feed her pups. She was caught along with the pups in anet, he said.
 
“Later they separated the mother from her puppies and dumped the canine in the van. On seeing the agony of the puppies, I asked the squad to release the bitch as it is against the rule to sterilise dogs within six months of their delivery. Initially they refused to obilge but when the local residents started protesting they left the spot and the dog behind,” Jain said.

Jain added, “The squad members were not only ruthless but also ignorant about the strict laws.” Vijay Ovhal, in-charge of the dog catching squad of Zone 1, said, “We have never picked up the nursing bitches. Even if such strays are brought, the medical team identify them at the pound and immediately releases them. In this case we will see why the squad tried to catch the a bitch despite knowing that it had pups .”