INDIA: Stray dogs are being killed in India's southern Tamil Nadu state after the starving animals began attacking tsunami survivors, especially children, in the region's worst-hit coastal region in their search for food, reports Rahul Bedi.
Municipal officials in the severely devastated Nagapattinam district, some 160 miles south of the state capital, Madras, said at least 30 dogs had so far been put to sleep following reports that they were attacking and terrorising refugees packed into relief shelters, especially at meal times.
Each dog was administered a lethal injection after being held down by a steel noose loped around the neck.
"The starving dogs behaviour changed after they began eating animal and human corpses washed ashore soon after the tsunami" Miss Shantha Sheela Nair, in-charge of relief work in the affected district said.
The corpses had since been cleared, but the dogs had started snarling at people and attacking women and children.
Moving in wolf-like packs they further traumatised tsunami victims, already in shock, by howling loudly at night.
Officials said animal welfare groups helping with the relief work in Nagapattinam had agreed to the stray dogs being executed after confirming reports that they were becoming a nuisance at relief centres.