Activists stage protest against culling of stray dogs in Kerala

A group of activists under the aegis of All India Animal Protection Group (AIAPG) observed a one-day hunger strike in Kerala on Thursday to protest against state government's decision of culling stray dogs.

The hunger strike was staged in front of state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram.

Animal lovers and activists across the state thronged the event with banners reading 'Equal rights to animals and humans' and performed street plays to show the plight of dogs.

Animal activist, Durga Ray, hit out at the state government for indiscriminate killing of stray dogs.

"A lot of dogs are being killed here using poison and cyanide injections. These mass killings are happening despite Supreme Court ruling. They have crossed all levels of cruelty," said Ray.

It was stated that "the brutal killings of street dogs in Kerala has triggered a worldwide outrage," with hash tags like #BoycottKerala trending worldwide on social media.

National president of AIAPF, Krishna Arjun, hinted at a possible conspiracy behind the mass killing of street dogs.

"In Asian countries like Korea, the Phillipines and China people eat dog meat. We are scared that these dogs will be used for nefarious acts by certain lobbies to export the meat," Arjun said.

The Kerala government's decision to drastically cut down the population of stray dogs through large-scale culling came after cases of canine bite became rampant.

The killing of stray animals without a just cause is prohibited under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.