Silent vigil to protest inhumane acts against dogs in Kandy on Saturday

A silent vigil will take place on March 02 to protest  the inhuman acts that have been taken against dogs in Kandy district.

The protest has been organised by the Kandy Association for Community Protection and  Animal Welfare (KAPWA) and will take place from 11 am to 1 pm.

"A total of 38 dogs who were living in and around the Sri Dalada Maligawa Temple in Kandy have been drugged and dumped in locations hitherto unknown" KAPWA Secretary Champa Fernando said.

The abductions were fuelled by an incident involving a foreign tourist who was bitten after falling over a dog while attempting to take a selfie at the Dalada Maligawa, she said.

Ms. Fernando added that the manner in which these dogs were abducted has paved the way for more suspicion to arise in connection to the incident.

Certain individuals who had been involved in the abduction had allegedly told a veterinarian that the dogs were abducted and being transported to a garbage dump upon instructions issued by the Kandy Municipal Council.

However, the vet had witnessed that some dogs were dumped at the Kandy Police Station, the KAPWA Secretary claimed.

Meanwhile, Central Province Governor Maithree Gunaratne extended his apologies over the incident and had ensured that such incidents will not take place in future. An investigation has also been launched by the Governor's office in this regard.

The KAPWA Secretary told Times Online that the dogs were sterilised and did not pose a threat to the people. She lamented that the location of the  dogs still remains unknown.