MUMBAI: Worried animal feeders and activists have put up several online posts on social networking sites about missing stray dogs and cats from several localities in the city and Thane, Navi Mumbai areas since the Diwali night when loud crackers were burst for a prolonged period. Many street animals were also injured while they tried to run away to escape the sound of crackers.
"At Kharghar, sector 20, a healthy dog died after he tried to run away from the spot where crackers were being exploded, and was hit by a speeding vehicle on the road. Animal welfare workers have also reported several cases of missing street dogs and cats from various areas. At Vikhroli, a dog with a bad mouth injury was noticed by a group of AW workers from Powai-IIT. Many dogs were also deliberately harmed by mischievous children who burst crackers very close to them,'' said a Navi Mumbai based activist.
From Churchgate in south Mumbai, animal workers have reported the plight of a local female dog called Pluto, whose tail is badly burnt as a fire cracker was burst very close to her.
Activist Chaitya Mehta of Mumbai Animals Association 'MAA' commented, ''One of the local dogs in Dahisar often runs far away from her area every year during Diwali time as she is extremely scared of loud cracker explosions. This time, she again went missing; but since we have tagged her collar with her name, address and relevant phone numbers, we were able to trace her back from another area. However, not all street dogs are this lucky.''
''The missing cats from Chembur and other city areas may not be found, as they depend on only their regular feeders to give them food. However, out of the fear of the Diwali crackers, they have gone missing. This is a troubling time for animal lovers, since most of the people had flouted the court orders and burst crackers even after midnight. The local police were of little help,'' said another city activist.
The animal rights activists reiterated that the most effective way to curb the crackers menace is to ensure that our law enforcers take strict action against the violators, and not remain mute spectators.
