Delhi Residents Pay Pit Bull Owners To Eliminate Stray Dogs

Delhi residents have started paying Pit bull owners to kill stray dogs in their neighborhoods. Pit bull owners take around Rs. 2,000 to kill a stray dog. Also, they are allegedly extracting money from dog lovers to allow strays in their areas to live.

Delhi Police officials confirmed the trend, saying that in recent days they have received more than half a dozen such complaints and an FIR has also been registered in one incident.

American Pit Bull Terrier

The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is a medium-sized, solidly built, short-haired canine whose early ancestors came from England and Ireland. It is a member of the molosser breed.

“The owner of both the dogs would come in a car and then walk around the area with them. Seeing Sheru and Bruno, all the stray dogs hid and would come out later, only to behave aggressively,” a Shalimar Bagh resident said.

In the attack, Bruno killed an 11-year-old white female stray and critically injured a five year-old brown dog.

The complainant informed the police that the Pit bull owner threatened that his dogs will eliminate all the stray dogs from the area if the dog loving residents don’t pay up Rs. 5,000 per stray dog to save them.

A case under section 429 of the Indian Penal Case (for killing or maiming animals) and 11 (1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act has been registered at Shalimar Bagh police station. Statements of the residents and the eyewitnesses are being taken to ascertain the facts. Meanwhile, a team has been formed to scrutinize footage from the CCTV cameras installed in the area.

 A senior police official said cops have received several similar complaints of Pit bulls attacking stray dogs.

“During investigation of these cases, it was found that many residents contacted the owners of these deadly American Pit bulls to get stray dogs killed. We have got certain leads and teams are working on them. Action will be taken once all the evidences are collected,” said a police official.

“Stray dogs have a right to live,” was how the Supreme Court reacted in January 2017 when a submission was made that such canines should be completely eliminated across the country. The court observed that though culling of stray dogs was permissible, there has to be a balance and a proper method for this.

Reference: India Today

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