Mumbai: 'Shut down Malvani animal horror house,' say activists

Animal activists have claimed that a BMCapproved sterilisation centre in Malwani has been taking improper care of dogs and disposing of bodies irresponsibly Animal lover Sangeeta Hada registered a case against the centre Universal Animal Welfare Society UAWS run by Dr Hanumant Shelke and Dr Swati ShelkeHada had sent two female and three male stray dogs to the centre on September 29 After the surgery on October 7 the centre returned one female and two male dogs to me When I asked the UAWS employee Jeetu about the other two dogs he said the female dog is critical and the male dogs wound is yet to heal He assured me that the male dog would be returned soon said Hada adding that the other dogs operations hadnt been done properly as their stitches were bleedingThe UAWS has refuted the activists claimHada visited UAWS the next day and was told by the Shelkes that the dogs had run away She started looking for the dogs and realised something is being burnt in an open ground nearby It was a dumping ground and a foul smell was in the air When I asked people nearby they told me that garbage is being destroyed However when I went closer I saw remains of dogs said Hada adding I enquired about the skeletal remains with ragpickers who told me that they often find bodies of dogs dumped there by the UAWSHada then filed an FIR with the help of activist Dr Nandini Kulkarni on October 31The open plot near UAWS where activists claim bodies are dumped PicsAnurag AhireDr Kulkarni told midday that there are numerous complaints against UAWS UAWS never takes proper care of animals and often dislocates them Dr Kulkarni saidDogs are highly territorial If you dislocate them it leads to furious dog fights and increased risk of bites for humans Dr Kulkarni addedIncreased dog fightsResident Akshata Padgaonkar said Dog fights have increased in Malvani as the staff often release dogs around the centre Also a small cut on a sterilised dog is mandatory to indicate the surgery But the centre chops their entire ear and the wound doesnt heal properly There are several stray dogs whose wounds get infected with maggots after they are released by the centreDr Kulkarni pointed out that dumping of dog carcasses endangers other dogs to rabies Most of the times dead dogs are disposed of in drains or in dumping grounds The improper disposal of dog carcasses endangers dogs and humans she saidA dog named Obi died at the centre on May 23 When activist Bharat Kubavat approached Malvani police station the Shelkes arranged for a postmortem at UAWS itself to manipulate the report and hide the actual cause of death Obi died because of botched sterilisation amid lack of medical supervision Dr Kulkarni claimedNexus with civic bodyUAWS contract expired on March 31 Their nexus with police and civic body has allowed them to continue operations said Dr Kulkarni who has also written to government officials to get the centre closedMeanwhile former chief executive officer of the Bombay Prevention Of Cruelty to Animals Colonel retd JC Khanna said The centre conducting surgeries despite the contract having expired amounts to corruption One also needs to check if the civic body has paid the centre in these last seven monthsDr Swati refuted the claims saying Those making allegations against our centre have vested interests In three years till March 2020 we have conducted surgeries on around 35000 stray dogs and the death rate is negligible We always send the bodies to a hospital in Parel for postmortemDr Swati claimed that since March only four dogs have died and 3800 were sterilised She also maintained that the contract has not expiredMessages and calls sent to the general manager of Deonar Abattoir Dr Yogesh Shettye went unanswered05No of stray dogs Sangeeta Hada sent to UAWS for sterilisation03No of dogs that were returnedKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news