Irate farmers of Mulanur blocked the Dharapuram-Karur Road on Thursday placing carcasses of sheep killed by wandering dogs.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Around 100 farmers blocked the Dharapuram-Karur road outside the Mulanur police station for about six hours on Thursday by placing the carcasses of 25 sheep killed by wandering street dogs at a farm in Pattathipalayam in Mulanur block.
The sheep belonging to Kangusamy, a livestock farmer, were found dead with bleeding injuries in the morning. The protesting farmers refused to budge to the pleas of the Revenue and Police authorities, demanding immediate settlement of compensation. They valued the dead sheep in the range of ₹2 lakh. There were also about 15 injured sheep.
Deputy Superintendent of Police of Dharapuram division Sureshkumar, and senior officials of Revenue and Animal Husbandry Departments engaged the protesting farmers in talks.
A woman protester asked why the affected livestock farmers were being subjected to a raw deal while the government was prepared to pay compensation of up to ₹10 lakh to the families of those who died after consuming spurious liquor. Another woman wondered why the police department was hesitant to register a case to record livestock deaths, while responding promptly to the complaints of animal activists on when dogs were attacked by humans.
Earlier this week, Ponnathal of Keeranur village in Kangayam block lost four goats and five lambs to wandering dogs. A couple of days back, a pack of dogs had severely mauled a newborn calf of a native cow owned by Thangavel (65) of Maravapalayam.
The farmers also referred to the attack on two children by wandering dogs in Mudhalipalayam Panchayat, and lamented that they were now reduced to seeking alms.
They assailed the authorities for not taking steps to control the population of wandering dogs and asked why the local bodies were not acting against meat shops and eateries discarding waste on the roadsides, thereby habituating street dogs to the taste of raw meat and blood.
The farmers had been assured by the administration in November 2024 that compensation for livestock killed in dog attacks would be provided in 45 days. On completion of the deadline last month, the administration sought 15 days of additional time, to which the farmers relented.
According to official sources, the district administration has conveyed the situation to the State government. The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying was on the verge of approving the order on compensation, sources added.
Published – February 06, 2025 07:57 pm IST