Apartment association charged with animal cruelty

They allegedly formed a team to chase away and relocate stray dogs, both illegal acts

An upscale apartment complex along Kanakapura Road has come under the scanner for cruelty against stray dogs.

On January 25, a circular allegedly sent by the apartment association to the residents surfaced on Twitter. It said that a security team was on the lookout for stray dogs to drive them away, and posted three pictures. It also urged residents to report such dogs.

A makeshift wall of tin sheets adjacent to where towers 6
and 7 will come up. These leave gaps for the dogs to get in.

The next day, activist Manjari Chaitanya Colaco visited the complex along with Aniruddha Ravindra, a member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Bengaluru Urban. The count of stray dogs who frequent the premises had come down lately, they learnt from the residents.

Manjari then filed a case against members of the executive council and a security officer of Prestige Falcon City, the apartment complex of 2,500-plus flats, with the Konankunte police.

Aniruddha, an animal welfare officer with an NGO, explained the problem: “Stray Dog Management Rules (2001) and a BBMP bylaw state that apartments can’t relocate stray animals (which have become community animals). They can vaccinate and neuter them and return them to the same area.”

The members have been charged with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. He shared what residents told them: “One dog was injured while being driven away. The security guards would pelt stones at the dogs and carry an iron rod (to scare them).”

A resident says at least three stray dogs have become community dogs. “Five to 10 others come in. Recently, we had noticed two litters of about 10 pups but now we see five pups. I don’t know what happened to the others,” he said.

Manjari says if the apartment wants to solve the problem, it should build a concrete compound wall and manage their waste to discourage the streeties from straying in. The complex is of 40 acres and has concrete boundary and grills running around the periphery for a majority of the part except where towers 6 and 7 will come up in the second phase. A few metres around these have been currently secured by stacking tin sheets, which leaves gaps for the dogs to get in.

The said resident told Metrolife the complex has 60% occupancy now, so “it is high time” to build a compound wall all around.

The Prestige group wasn’t available for comments on this issue.

The apartment committee also did not respond to our email for comments but the security officer named in the FIR said the ‘circular’ was fake. They are trying to figure out how it was released on the apartment’s channels of communication (WhatsApp, Telegram and email), he added.

The resident said the circular was sent about a week ago and has now been retracted from WhatsApp and Telegram. “Many residents started complaining they have paid Rs 2 crore for a flat and they don’t want to wake up to the stray dog nuisance,” he said.

Some residents had approached the association to get the strays neutered to control aggression and population, but it hasn’t paid heed, he claimed.

‘Cops probing it’

The Konankunte police has asked Manjari, the complainant, to produce evidence. Dr Ravi, assistant director, animal husbandry, said the police will investigate the case and the court will decide the penalty. “The Karnataka government had sent a circular to apartments on how to manage both pet and stray dogs in 2020. They should follow the rules,” he urged.