Blue Cross’ inhumane rescue raises hackles of activists

On Thursday morning, residents saw a dog, with both his hind legs dysfunctional, lying helpless and informed Blue Cross. What followed was a nightmare for the dog. The catchers used a grasper, a metal rod with a noose at the end, to lift the injured dog by its neck. The dog squealed in pain as it was lifted hanging from at least seven feet above the ground.  

The ordeal could have been fatal for the already injured dog. “Rescuers often avoid using these metal graspers while trying to capture a dog. There have been incidents where animals have died due to strangling. A grasper is used to deal with an aggressive dog and prevent it from biting. In this case, it was clearly used to lift a four-legged, who could not even walk because of his injury,” says Nitin Chandan, an animal rights activist with INCARE. 

Activists point out that shortstaffed animal welfare organisations often take the easy way out with their operations. “Rescuing a dog is time-consuming. We always keep a leash handy. While dealing with a stray, the first step is to cover the mouth with a muzzle. If that’s not available, a rope is used to tie it around the mouth of the dog,” says Nitin. 

Talking to DTNext, Dawn Williams of Blue Cross says, “According to those on the field, there was a political meeting at Valluvarkottam. The police did not allow them to stop and Blue Cross staff had to do the job in haste.” However, the political meeting mentioned had hardly 10-15 people who were on a peaceful hunger strike. 

According to ABC & Capturing Rules under Prevention of Cruelty To Animals Act, ‘Dogs shall be captured by using humane methods such as lassoing or soft-loop animal catchers such as those prescribed under the provisions of Prevention of Cruelty. “We will look into the matter,” said an Animal Welfare Board of India official.