Animal rights activists flag missing stray dogs in Assam town

Animal rights activists have expressed concern over the disappearance of stray dogs in a northeastern Assam town.

In a November 19 complaint lodged at a local police station, the quartet of Dimpi Pareek, Dipankar Saikia, Luhit Das, and Ritutpal Phukan flagged the “abrupt reduction” in the population of street dogs in North Lakhimpur, the headquarters of Lakhimpur district, about 360 km northeast of Guwahati.

In another complaint on December 2, animal lover Priyamjyoti Phukan said almost 80% of the stray dogs in the town have vanished suddenly.

“There is a growing suspicion among the public and animal welfare volunteers that these dogs may have been illegally captured for the dog meat trade, which is a criminal offence under animal cruelty and transportation laws,” the first complaint read.

The complainants urged the police to investigate the case and take strict action against anyone found involved in the illegal practice.

Officials of the North Lakhimpur Municipal Board said that they were aware of the matter, and the officer in charge of the town’s main police station was accordingly informed through a letter on November 25.

“…vaccination of stray dogs has been undertaken within the jurisdiction of the North Lakhimpur Municipal Board. However, it has been reported that several stray dogs have gone missing from various locations within the municipal area,” the executive officer of the municipal board wrote in the letter.

“…I kindly request you to take necessary action and register an FIR… so that proper investigation may be carried out and appropriate measures taken,” it further read.

Nayan Moni Barman, the district’s Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime), said the matter was under investigation. “We have taken note of the complaints about the disappearance of the stray dogs,” he said.

A few weeks ago, the Supreme Court issued an order mandating the relocation of stray dogs to shelters after they have been sterilised or vaccinated.