101 starving cats and dogs rescued from Chennai shelter run by vet

Starving animals feeding on the carcass of other animals, dead puppies and kittens were a scene of horror that awaited the police and animal rights groups in Chennai.

Starving dogs and cats with protruding ribs and weak legs, dead puppies and kittens, and starving animals feeding on the carcass of other animals were a scene of horror that awaited the police and animal rights groups in Chennai. Hundred-and-one malnourished and extremely weak animals in uninhabitable conditions were rescued from the Yahshua Animal Trust (YAT) in West Tambaram by activists and animal welfare organisations with the assistance of the Tamil Nadu police. Run by Vanaja Rani, a veterinary doctor, the cats and dogs were confined in extremely small cages and covered in their own excreta without food or water at the shelter.

Activists and volunteers from many animal rescue organisations including Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary (BMAD), Madras Animal Rescue Society (MARS), People for Animals, Hope for Kritters, RoA, Love Animals Respect Animals (LARA) , and Animal Care Trust were actively involved in the rescue operations. Based on a complaint filed by Prakaashganth, the founder of Heaven For Animals, with the Somangalam Police Station, a joint rescue operation took place on Sunday, 18 December.

“There have been many complaints against the shelter and its owners since 2014. The animals were also abused in the shelter. There were no CCTVs present in the shelter and admission into the place was prohibited,” Prakaashganth said.

When animals are brought to the shelter, the owner takes money and ensures that the people sign a document with certain clauses mentioning that they would not call, revisit the shelter, or claim either the animal or the money back in case of death or illness. One such document that TNM has access to mentions that the information about the death of the animals would not be disclosed. Read more…