Ninja is almost five years old. Tagged as feral, his mouth was often covered with a tight white cloth when he was brought to SKS Veterinary Hospital in Chennai a day ago. He now sits inside his cell, fed and cared for. His dark brown coat barely has any hair and his bones stuck out because there wasn't too much flesh on the body. He trembles with fear every time he hears a human voice. Ninja was one of the 187 residents of IIT Madras' year-old stray dog enclosure and was brought to the hospital on Friday by a city-based veterinarian.
"We did not think that he would make it," says an animal activist who helped to get him out of the enclosure. But, the vets at the hospital are now quite hopeful. The two dogs, Ninja and Shiv, they say, will be well soon. The third dog has already been adopted by an NGO in Chennai. "The dogs have now started to develop an appetite. This makes us hopeful. They weren't fed for at least 15 days," a vet at the hospital, who did not wish to be named, told EdexLive. "We are giving them wet food now. Once their appetite improves, we will shift to dry food," she said.
Her prescription says that the dogs are anaemic and haven't been vaccinated or dewormed. If sources close to IITM are to be believed, Ninja was brought to the institute a few years back from Blue Cross, Chennai and was captured a year ago. They also told EdexLive that the dog also has a fractured hind leg.
According to the latest data shared by the premier engineering institute, 14 dogs in its enclosure are currently ill. In September, while hearing a petition on this matter, the Madras High Court had asked a Chennai-based NGO, People For Cattle in India (PFCI), the Greater Chennai Corporation and the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) to facilitate their treatment. However, the activists say that they haven't been allowed to take these dogs for treatment.
"We are now trying to get these remaining 11 dogs too treated. Once their situation improves, they will be fostered and we will try to get them adopted," says an activist who was involved in the rescue process.
The IIT is yet to comment on the situation of these three dogs. However, a week ago, they told EdexLive, "IIT Madras has made all efforts to keep the animals on our campus safe. As evident from the Honourable High Court Order dated 17 September 2021, every dog on our campus is microchipped and three separate enclosures have been provided. The institute has appointed a full-time veterinarian and five handlers to take care of the dogs on campus 24×7. The facility has been inspected by various Government agencies and the dogs are being fed based on the expert advice given.
