A dog breeder charged with abandoning two of his dogs in a forest near Udhagamandalam was arrested by the Nilgiris district police.
The accused, identified as Udhayakumar, a resident of the Nilgiris now living in Coimbatore, had tied two dogs he had raised till the age of five near a forest in Theetukkal in Udhagamandalam. The man is alleged to have used the two dogs, two Great Danes, for breeding puppies and selling them to people.
The two animals were found emaciated and without food or water in a thicket by a Khandal resident, who informed the Nilgiris Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA). The two dogs were rescued and are said to be recovering, with NSPCA members stating that the dogs will be re-housed with good owners once they are fully recovered.
Following a complaint to the local police, a case was registered against the dog breeder, identified as Udhayakumar, a resident of Udhagamandalam now living in Coimbatore. He was booked under sections of the Tamil Nadu Town Nuisances Act and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and arrested. Police stated that following his arrest, Udhayakumar was released on bail.
The filing of charges and subsequent arrest has been welcomed as a significant move, with local animal rights activists hoping that this will discourage other dog owners and breeders from abandoning their dogs in the forests or in the towns across the Nilgiris.
