Mass dog killings shock Telangana as 500 strays die in a week ahead of poll fallout

Allegations of large-scale killing of street dogs have triggered outrage across Telangana, after nearly 500 canines were allegedly poisoned to death in just one week in Kamareddy and Hanamkonda districts — purportedly to make good on promises made during recent gram panchayat elections to curb the stray dog menace.

Animal welfare activist Adulapuram Goutham, 35, lodged a formal complaint on January 12, accusing village-level authorities of orchestrating the systematic extermination of street dogs in several Kamareddy villages, including Bhavanipet, Palwancha, Faridpet, Wadi and Bandarameshwarapally. He claimed that around 200 dogs were killed within two to three days alone.

According to Goutham, he received credible information about the killings around 3 pm on January 12 and later visited Bhavanipet, where he and a friend found the carcasses of multiple dogs dumped near a temple. He alleged that the animals had been administered poisonous injections, describing the act as “intentional and cruel” and demanding strict legal action against those responsible.

Police sources quoted PTI as saying that a case has been registered against six people, including five village sarpanches and one individual, Kishore Pandhey, who was allegedly hired to carry out the killings. The carcasses, which had been buried on the outskirts of villages, were exhumed by veterinary teams for post-mortem examinations.

“Viscera samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory to determine the exact cause of death and the type of poison used,” a senior police official said, adding that notices have been issued to the accused.

Village-level sources said that the killings were politically driven. “Ahead of the elections held in December last year, some candidates promised villagers they would tackle the stray dog and monkey menace. They are now allegedly ‘fulfilling’ those promises by killing stray dogs,” they said.

The Kamareddy case follows a similar scandal in Hanamkonda district earlier this month, where police booked nine people — including two women sarpanches, their husbands, gram panchayat secretaries and hired individuals — for allegedly poisoning around 300 street dogs in Shayampet and Arepally villages between January 6 and 9.

No official response from the accused sarpanches or village representatives was available at the time of filing this report.

The disturbing allegations have surfaced amid renewed scrutiny from the Supreme Court over India’s handling of stray animals. On January 13, the top court said it would consider directing states to pay “heavy compensation” in dog-bite cases and hold dog feeders accountable, expressing concern over the poor implementation of Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules over the past five years.

Rapping authorities for “failing miserably” to enforce the norms, the court said dog feeders must also shoulder responsibility. “You take them to your house, keep them. Why should they be allowed to roam around, biting, chasing? The effect of a dog bite is lifelong,” the bench observed.

As investigations unfold in Telangana, the alleged mass poisoning of street dogs has ignited a broader debate over governance, animal welfare and the dangerous politicisation of public health concerns.