The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Feral dog walks into the trap

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 30, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Feral dog walks into the trap

P. Oppili

Forest officials say half dozen still at large, continue patrols

CAUGHT: Forest officials take a look at the trapped feral dog in Kolappakkam on Thursday. — Photo: A. Muralitharan

CHENNAI: Forest Department officials on Thursday trapped one of the feral dogs that had killed nine spotted deer at the Vandalur Reserve Forest, at Kolapakkam.

According to departmental sources, a cage was kept at the department's Research Garden at Kolappakkam with a kilo of mutton as baiton Wednesday night. When the officials checked the trap on Thursday, a huge dog was found trapped inside.

Blue Cross informed

The officials informed the Blue Cross, which picked up the canine from Kolappakkam on Thursday.

It would be kept at the Blue Cross shelter at Velacherry, forest officials said.

A senior forest official said there could be at least half a dozen feral dogs still roaming round the Research Garden area.

In order to trap them, the cage would be moved, the officer explained.

Warning to villagers

The officials told villagers not to allow their pets to stray into the reserve forest area. If dogs were found inside the forest areas, severe action would be taken against the villagers, they warned.

Meanwhile, forest officials are continuing patrols in the area where the deer were found dead.

On Wednesday last, nine spotted deer were found dead in the reserve forests in Kolappakkam, which had been killed by the feral dogs.

Officials said a group of dogs from the nearby village had entered the forest and turned feral after shifting their habitat.

A team of veterinarians from the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, had confirmed that feral dogs had killed the deer after conducting a post-mortem.

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