Several dogs have been relocated from the TSC area of Dhaka University (DU) after some employees of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) injected them, according to locals.
Tauhid Tanjim, a post-graduate student at the university’s computer science and engineering department, said: “At least five dogs were picked after they were injected around 11am on Monday.”
Claiming to be an eyewitness to the incident, he said a vehicle of DSCC arrived and picked up the dogs from around the TSC area.
“People who were present during the drive tried to save the dogs, but the DSCC employees did not pay them any attention. We are trying to bring the dogs back on our own, and also demanding that no harm be caused to them,” Tanjim added.
Boni Adam, a local, also claimed he saw some people inject the dogs and put them in nets before loading them on a DSCC vehicle.
“Some of the DSCC employees were telling the other employees not to kill the dogs, as there is a High Court ruling that prohibits dog culling,” he added.
When contacted on Tuesday evening, DSCC Ward-32 Councillor Asaduzzaman Asad said he was unaware of the matter as nobody had notified him about the incident.
However, DSCC Zone-1 Regional Executive Officer Md Mizanur Rahman said the dogs may have been relocated.
“Although the area (DU campus) is under my jurisdiction, the veterinary section under the DSCC’s health department deals with such issues. As far as I know, no dogs are culled. As per previous plan, the dogs may have been relocated to the Matuail landfill,” he further said.
Despite repeated attempts, DSCC Chief Health Officer Brigadier General Dr Md Sharif Ahmed could not be reached for comment.
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Meanwhile, animal lovers and animal welfare groups Paw Foundation and Obhoyaronno have expressed grave concern over the illegal relocation of the dogs.
Farzana Islam, Spanish language instructor at the Multiple Language Learning Club of DU, reacting to a video posted on Paw Foundation’s Facebook page wrote: “A female dog and her three puppies have been missing for the last few days. Maybe they were targeted by the city corporation.”
Zahid Shovon, another animal lover, replied on the post: “There are no dogs on the streets there. This is not the TSC we know.”
The DSCC began illegally relocating 30,000 stray dogs from Dhaka to outside the capital in late August.
The move triggered huge criticism and condemnation from animal lovers and welfare groups.
According to DSCC officials, Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh directed the transfer of all dogs for the “comfort” of the people in his area. Subsequently, the work commenced on an experimental basis.
Department of Livestock Services (DLS) Veterinary Surgeon in-charge of DSCC SM Shafiqul Islam previously said the government’s health department had vaccinated some 48,000 dogs in 2019, of which 28,000 were in the DSCC area alone.
“Street dogs in Dhaka were vaccinated in May last year. A second dose, scheduled for this year, has not been given yet,” he added.
A 2015 study titled "Free-roaming dog population estimation and status of the dog population management and rabies control program in Dhaka city, Bangladesh,” revealed that some 52 dogs live per sqkm in Dhaka.
