Navi Mumbai: In a shocking case of animal cruelty, a pet dog’s head was completely blown off in Neral after he went towards a food bait that was attached to an illegal explosive.Bombay High Court-appointed honorary animal welfare officer, Soorraj Saha, helped lodge an FIR in the case and intimated the state forest department about the alleged use of the explosive bait to trap and kill leopards for their claws and skin and also wild boars.The FIR lodged against unknown persons at Neral police station was filed under Section 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, and Section 325 of BNS for the killing of an animal.Saha told TOI: “This horrific incident occurred on June 26 at Asalpada in Karjat taluka, in the foothills of Matheran. A family had come here to a farm resort along with their pet dog, Togo. The poor dog, out of curiosity, went towards a bushy area as he sniffed some sort of food placed there. It was a deadly bait attached to a powerful explosive.”While Neral police are further inquiring into this matter in order to identify the poachers, social activists and residents alleged that several types of explosives are regularly smuggled into Karjat to either break rocks and steal earth or to kill wild animals.Last year, environmentalist B N Kumar of NatConnect Foundation complained to the chief minister’s office about explosions near the riverside at Shingdol, Dhotre villages in Karjat, leading to damage to houses nearby.Saha added: “I have requested the state forest department to do frequent patrolling in areas such as Asalpada, since there have been reports in the past about bombs and explosives used to kill wild animals here. It is surprising how the mafia efficiently brings such banned explosives into Karjat taluka and actually explodes them without fear of the law.”
