Five dogs found dead at care centre in Maharashtra

At least five dogs lodged at a care centre here in Maharashtra died due to alleged negligence of those managing the centre, police said Monday.

A member of a local NGO, working for the welfare of animals, went to the centre last week and found the five canines dead following which he approached the police, Manickpur police station's assistant police inspector Asif Baig said.

The animal centre, located in Vasai area, is run by a private organisation and houses stray dogs in need of care and medical treatment, he said.

After the NGO member approached the police, carcasses of three dogs were recovered and sent for postmortem, he said.

"We are waiting for the medical report after which necessary action will be taken," Baig said.

He said it appears that the care centre's staff might have been on leave last week during the Diwali festival time.

However, a care-taker at the centre claimed that none of the dogs died of starvation, and that the animals succumbed to diseases like rabies and other ailments.

An official at the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation said there were no specific regulations in place so far to monitor such centres, but efforts were being made to formulate rules to keep a check on them.