Man Poisoned, Killed 18 Dogs Allegedly For Barking At Him

A man in the South Indian city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu was accused of poisoning 18 dogs, including some strays, to death for barking at him. Local media reports said police in the Tirupur North area of the city received a complaint against the man, a fish vendor.

Residents of the Konganagiri area filed the police complaint after they were alarmed when dogs in the neighborhood started dying. Welfare workers found the dogs dead foaming from their mouths May 13. Local newspaper the Times of India reported that some of the dogs were found in critical condition and were taken to a nearby vet clinic for medical treatment. The incident sparked outrage among the residents of the area, some of whom used to feed the stray dogs.

Doctors at the private clinic said the animals had consumed poison, reports said. One of the residents, whose dog was among the dead, showed CCTV footage that captured a man giving food to the dogs, who later died after consuming the food.

The suspect, identified only by his first name Gopal, reportedly caught fish and supplied them to food stalls and hotels in the area. Resident A.A. Manikandan told local media that some stray dogs had been barking at him and this irked him. The suspect allegedly killed the dogs by giving them fish laced with poison, the resident said.

N. Chandrakala, another resident said: “I have a pet dog and used to feed three strays in the locality regularly. Two of them are dead now."

Meanwhile, residents of the area where the incident took place urged authorities to take legal action against the suspect. However, it remained unclear if charges would be filed against the man.

Earlier this year, an animal cruelty case that took place in the East Indian city of Kolkata sparked outrage in the country. At least 16 puppies were found dead, wrapped inside plastic bags at the parking lot of a hospital in the capital city of West Bengal state. A video, which surfaced a day after the puppies were found dead, showed two women abusing a puppy with bamboo sticks. The women, who were nursing students, were arrested and they admitted to killing the puppies and dumping them. The suspects reportedly claimed they were fed up with the puppies as they moved too close to their feet for comfort and caused them disturbance.