2 vets take charge of animal shelter, say no videos are allowed inside

Noida: The Noida Authority has appointed two new vets at the district’s only animal shelter in Sector 94, days after sacking their predecessors on grounds of negligence. The newly appointed vets have said that residents are welcome to offer food and other support to the shelter, but videography will no longer be allowed inside.
TOI had last week reported about the removal of the two vets who were at the helm of affairs at the shelter for the past 10 years in the wake of a video of dogs purportedly feeding on a cow carcass there going viral on social media.
Noida CEO Ritu Maheshwari had then expressed concern, given the Authority pays around Rs 25 lakh per month towards the salaries of the 60 employees, and food and medicine for the animals at the shelter.
“Some people came over and wanted to shoot videos of the shelter on Tuesday, but we have made it clear that those who want to help the animals can donate food and medicine, but we will not allow them to shoot inside,” Satpal Singh Rathi, one of the newly appointed vets.
The shelter, formerly Society to Prevent Cruelty to Animals, was taken over by the Noida Authority in 2017, and it is now home to over 700 canines, 450 cows, and some birds. Animal activists, however, claim that the twin cities together have about three lakh street dogs and spaying or neutering them is the need of the hour in order to control their population.
“Any given sector has about 100-300 dogs living on the streets with hardly any access to food and medicine. The population of dogs is increasing and there is an urgent need to sterilise the dogs because they become victims of cruelty and there is never enough food for them,” said Sanjay Mahapatra, a Noida-based animal activist, who also runs an animal welfare organisation in the city.
“We are now opening a community kitchen to help feeders easily collect food to feed strays. We are going to price a packet at Rs 10 and there would be kiosks all over the city. We have already received orders from dedicated dog feeders, who feed about 100-200 dogs each day. We will run the kitchen out of a space in Sector 54,” Mahapatra said.