<p>Last month, stray dog feeder Ronnie D’Costa found five dogs bleeding from the mouth in K R Puram. He filed a complaint at the local police station, and it is suspected to be a case of poisoning. The incident has highlighted the importance of vigilant dog feeders and neighbourhood residents.</p>.<p>The Cubbon Park Canines group feeds around 120 dogs at Cubbon Park. Its founder Priya Chetty-Rajagopal explains how they keep a watch on the strays: “Feeders know the dogs by their names and tags. If one goes missing, they network through a WhatsApp group to locate it.”</p>.<p>The CJ Memorial Trust runs over 65 canine squads across Bengaluru, each keeping a close watch on dogs in their neighbourhoods by staying in touch with locals, including shopkeepers. It has also created a mapping system in collaboration with Open City and Oorvani Foundation. “It contains details entered by squad members, such as where each dog is usually found, but getting people to update the data remains a challenge,” says Priya, its managing trustee.</p>.<p>Since feeding community dogs can lead to friction with residents, animal welfare worker Manjari Chaitanya says support from the BBMP or a ward committee member can help address the issue. The founder of South Bangalore Cares recommends that feeders call BBMP’s helpline (1533) for assistance.</p>.<p>Sadhana Hegde, founder of Sahavarthin Animal Welfare Trust, offers free legal counselling to feeders and caretakers. “Since 2023, we have been running a feeder support group and filed around 40 complaints across Bengaluru Urban and Rural. We also advise feeders to use bodycams to document harassment and help file FIRs,” she says. According to her, ego clashes with residents can escalate to intimidation, and she claims that “not filing FIRs often leads to outcomes like poisoning”. "It is equally important for police department to take animal cases more seriously to avoid such crimes," she adds.</p>.<p>Animal welfare activist Nandita Subbarao urges BBMP to create awareness about responsible feeding, sterilisation, and vaccination. “Limiting the number of dogs fed at a time on a street (to a maximum of five) can avoid competition among the pack, and also noise,” she explains.</p>.<p><strong>Legal perspective</strong></p>.<p>Aniruddha Ravindra, animal welfare warden with the Karnataka government, says most cruelty cases fall under Section 1A of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which carries a Rs 50 penalty. Additionally, Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) applies to beating, kicking, neglect, or even ‘intentional accidents’, with up to five years of imprisonment and a fine of around Rs 4,000.</p>.<p>Ravindra has helped file over 75 FIRs in the past six years, 65% involving beating or poisoning stray dogs.</p>
<p>Last month, stray dog feeder Ronnie D’Costa found five dogs bleeding from the mouth in K R Puram. He filed a complaint at the local police station, and it is suspected to be a case of poisoning. The incident has highlighted the importance of vigilant dog feeders and neighbourhood residents.</p>.<p>The Cubbon Park Canines group feeds around 120 dogs at Cubbon Park. Its founder Priya Chetty-Rajagopal explains how they keep a watch on the strays: “Feeders know the dogs by their names and tags. If one goes missing, they network through a WhatsApp group to locate it.”</p>.<p>The CJ Memorial Trust runs over 65 canine squads across Bengaluru, each keeping a close watch on dogs in their neighbourhoods by staying in touch with locals, including shopkeepers. It has also created a mapping system in collaboration with Open City and Oorvani Foundation. “It contains details entered by squad members, such as where each dog is usually found, but getting people to update the data remains a challenge,” says Priya, its managing trustee.</p>.<p>Since feeding community dogs can lead to friction with residents, animal welfare worker Manjari Chaitanya says support from the BBMP or a ward committee member can help address the issue. The founder of South Bangalore Cares recommends that feeders call BBMP’s helpline (1533) for assistance.</p>.<p>Sadhana Hegde, founder of Sahavarthin Animal Welfare Trust, offers free legal counselling to feeders and caretakers. “Since 2023, we have been running a feeder support group and filed around 40 complaints across Bengaluru Urban and Rural. We also advise feeders to use bodycams to document harassment and help file FIRs,” she says. According to her, ego clashes with residents can escalate to intimidation, and she claims that “not filing FIRs often leads to outcomes like poisoning”. "It is equally important for police department to take animal cases more seriously to avoid such crimes," she adds.</p>.<p>Animal welfare activist Nandita Subbarao urges BBMP to create awareness about responsible feeding, sterilisation, and vaccination. “Limiting the number of dogs fed at a time on a street (to a maximum of five) can avoid competition among the pack, and also noise,” she explains.</p>.<p><strong>Legal perspective</strong></p>.<p>Aniruddha Ravindra, animal welfare warden with the Karnataka government, says most cruelty cases fall under Section 1A of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which carries a Rs 50 penalty. Additionally, Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) applies to beating, kicking, neglect, or even ‘intentional accidents’, with up to five years of imprisonment and a fine of around Rs 4,000.</p>.<p>Ravindra has helped file over 75 FIRs in the past six years, 65% involving beating or poisoning stray dogs.</p>