[ Tongam Rina ]
ITANAGAR, Apr 11: Several stray dogs have gone missing from the streets of the capital complex, particular in Itanagar and Naharlagun.
The dogs may have been eaten in the absence of meat in the market; otherwise there seems no valid reason for them to go missing at a worrying rate.
Volunteers were feeding some 200 dogs daily in the capital region after the lockdown started on 23 March, following the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country. The volunteers say that at least 50 dogs have gone missing in the last few days.
All the dogs that have gone missing were healthier ones, said one of the volunteers.
“The numbers of dogs are drastically going down,” the volunteer said. “The dogs usually wait around the same spot during feeding time, but I have not seen some of them for the last four days.”
In one place, all the street dogs went missing overnight. In another locality, some 20 stray dogs were being fed, but now the number has come down to less than six.
Stray dogs are being fed in Tawang and Tezu, as well, by volunteers. So far there are no reports of missing street dogs from these two towns.
But it’s a different story altogether in the capital region. Dogs are disappearing at an alarming rate, and in some cases people are threatening the volunteers.
Street dogs were left hungry after the lockdown, following which dog lovers stepped in. Using social media, they raised funds and started feeding the dogs.
But not everybody is a dog lover. A glance at social media shows that there are a number of people who are dog eaters, much to the heartbreak of dog lovers.
At least three people have uploaded pictures with dog meat, while one wanted to know where to get permission to sell meat of street dogs.
