Activists Protest in Pallikaranai Over GCC Housing Healthy Dogs in Distemper Ward

Around 50 animal rights activists and members of non-governmental organisations staged a protest outside the Greater Chennai Corporation office in Pallikaranai on Monday, demanding the immediate release of 15 healthy stray dogs allegedly exposed to canine distemper.

The activists accused the corporation of putting the 15 healthy dogs, captured from the Chennai airport premises on August 7 and 8, at risk of contracting the highly contagious viral disease by housing them at an animal birth control centre designated for infected dogs.

According to activists, the healthy dogs were initially held at a pound in Meenambakkam before being moved to the Pallikaranai facility. RA Kirthana, founder of Hope for Critters, stated that activists had evidence showing at least two dogs suffering from canine distemper were released from the Pallikaranai centre on Monday morning, creating severe transmission risks.

Kirthana noted that canine distemper carries an 80% to 90% fatality rate among infected dogs and warned that surviving dogs can continue to shed and transmit the virus for up to three months.

Centre in-charge Dr R Prashanth stated that all 15 dogs at the facility were healthy, sterilised, and vaccinated. He indicated that the animals would remain housed at the centre for a month until an upcoming shelter in Manali becomes ready for occupation.

Chief Veterinary Officer Dr J Kamal Hussian defended the civic body's actions, stating that the dogs were shifted to the Pallikaranai pound on Friday because the Meenambakkam facility lacked space for separate cages. He asserted that all infected dogs were removed prior to the transfer and that the centre had undergone thorough fumigation and disinfection before the healthy animals arrived.

Contradicting the timeline provided by the centre in-charge, Hussian stated that the dogs would be relocated by the end of the month rather than staying for a full month.

Separately, animal rights activist Lionel Praveen alleged that the GCC conducted an animal birth control surgery on a seven-year-old pet dog belonging to ambulance driver M Janakiraman. The owner said the dog subsequently died at the Kannamapet ABC centre on Saturday, two days after admission. In response, Hussian said the owner had brought the pet himself and noted that civic staff are instructed not to perform procedures on owned pets.