Chennai Special Articles

Stray dogs sabotaging IIT-M’s reputation abroad, ‘dog lovers’ and ‘animal activists’ turn blind eye

December 13, 2020
The Commune

During the special meeting of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) nominated Permanent Committee to discuss the stray dogs menace at IIT-Madras (IIT-M) campus, Padma Shri Dr. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, a professor at the institute representing the concerns of the professors staying inside the campus said that stray dogs were adversely affecting the reputation of the institute both nationally and globally.

In the meeting held on December 3, Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala mentioned that visiting faculty and students from foreign countries had expressed serious concerns over the dog menace, adversely affecting the reputation of the institute which is ranked number 1 in the country thereby indirectly affection the reputation of the nation too.

“IIT Madras has been granted the position of ‘Institute of Eminence’ and it is expected that more number of foreign faculty and students will visit and stay on campus in the coming years. If this dog menace continues it will give us negative feedback among the foreign faculty and students. It will severely affect our institute reputation among world class institutions.” Prof. Jhunjhunwala said in the meeting. He also urged the committee and the NGT to consider these aspects while taking any decision regarding the stray dog menace in the campus.

Prof. Jhunjhunwala said that he himself was intimidated by packs of ferocious stray dogs many times inside the campus and that most of the time he could not step out of the car for fear of getting chased and bitten.

He said that as a resident who had lived in the campus for 40 years, the stray dog menace has gotten severe in the past 2-3 years mainly due to the sudden increase in the number of stray dogs that have been let loose in the campus.

Recently, the Chennai Wildlife Warden CH Padma who is also part of the committee constituted by the NGT has increased the number of feeding centres inside the campus for stray dogs to from 5 14 after pressure from ‘dog-lover’ groups in the campus. She had also permitted feeding of home-cooked food.

Prof. Jhunjhunwala mentioned that a survey conducted among 400 faculty members living in the campus on the opinion of increasing feeding locations resulted in 98% of them vehemently being against the move. He said that residents were furious about the increase in feeding centres adding that neither people travelling in two wheelers could travel in peace nor children could play outside as rabid dogs chase them.

He also highlighted the endless attacks by the feral dogs on the deers and blackbucks which has drastically reduced their population.

Dr. Jhunjhunwala also submitted a number of recommendations asking the number of free-ranging dogs to be kept at a number that does not disrupt the academic life in the campus including sterilization, electronically tagging the dogs, caging the feral dog pack leaders and restricting the feeding points to 3-4 locations. However, any attempt to remove the stray dogs and bring in regulations to protect the endangered species is being obstructed by ‘dog-lover’ groups in the campus and ‘animal activists’ who try to engage NGOs run by them or their known circles to take care of these rabid stray dogs. The NGO that has been engaged in IIT-Madras to ‘take care’ of these dogs is Jeeva Karunya Animal Welfare Trust run by Shoba Chellathurai and Joe Prakash Jacob.

There have been allegations that the incumbent Registrar of the institution Dr. Jane Prasad has been favouring Christians primarily those from the Nagercoil district in appointments. She is said to have brought Jeeva Karunya Animal Welfare Trust of Nagercoil for feeding, sterilization and microchipping of the stray dogs.

On the other hand, self-proclaimed ‘animal activist’ Antony Clement Rubin has challenged Dr. Jhunjhunwala’s appeal to the NGT nominated Permanent Committee. He has been advocating the institute to spend money out of its coffers to set up dog parks, dog clinics,dog feeding spots. He has presented with an action plan on ‘how to save deers from stray dogs’. It is to be noted that Anthony Clement Rubin, an anti-Jallikattu campaigner has been going after several temple elephants in Tamil Nadu and trying to oust them from the temples to be sent to elephant camps run by the government.

Indu Makkal Katchi (IMK), the only political party in Tamil Nadu which has been voicing out against the rampant stray dog menace at IIT-M has been calling for protecting the deers, blackbuck and native wildlife species in the campus.

Speaking to The Commune, Mr. Sathyanarayanan, spokesperson of the IMK said “even a child knows that the only way to save wildlife in the campus is to remove stray dogs that have invaded the reserved forest area and not provide them ‘shelters’.”

S Muralidharan, a Chennai based animal activist told The Commune that it is outrageous that a reserve forest is being used as a feeding and breeding ground for stray dogs. “We all love dogs and there are a plenty of them on the streets. But to bring them into a reserve forest, feed them mindlessly which later goes on to kill native wildlife in the forest is just ridiculous”. Mr. Muralidharan said.