Stray dogs fall prey to snares

Mangaluru: Increasingly stray dogs are falling prey to snares laid to trap wild boars, porcupines and monitor lizards in the outskirts of Mangaluru, or areas close to the forest range, said animal rescuer Tauseef Ahmed.
On Thursday, a dog that had a binding wire snare stuck to one of its hind legs for quite a few days, was rescued from Boliyar panchayat. Tauseef, founder and rescuer at Mr Rescuer, said, “This incident was reported at Mudipu, about 30km from the city.Since the dog was not friendly, removing the snare was a challenge. With great difficulty, I managed to pin down the dog, along with the panchayat members, after which the snare was removed. The snare had in fact bitten into the muscle tissue and new tissues had started growing over it. The wound was cleaned with antiseptic, and ointment was applied. Antibiotics and painkillers have been handed over to the panchayat staff who are looking after the dog,” he said.
Snares or barbed wires are often set up by farmers around agricultural fields, to prevent animals such as wild boars from destroying their crops. There have been several instances of sloth bears and leopards falling victim to these deadly traps. “Dogs falling prey to snares is a matter of concern. In the last four months, especially near the area surrounding Mudipu and Thokottu, there have been at least seven cases of dogs falling prey to snares. Since these areas are away from the city, it is difficult for animal rescuers to reach the spot on time. These kinds of snares are used to trap wild boars, wild birds, rabbits, deer and toddy cats for meat. The snare is made by binding wire and food is laid to attract the animal. During the lockdown, stray dogs may have gone into the forest in search of food. These incidents also indicate that poaching is on the rise,” he said.
Tauseef has brought this incident to the notice of the forest department.