On 15 May 2014 a majority of the dogs in Sauraha, near Chitwan National Park, were poisoned. The person or parties responsible have not been identified yet.

According to several reports from eyewitnesses,  poisoned meat was left by the river, and the dogs suffered an inhumane death shortly thereafter. One eyewitness said the bodies of the dogs were picked up a little while later by a tractor, which had more than 20 dogs in the back. All dogs, not just stray dogs, are in danger from these reckless actions.

These tragic incidences are especially disappointing from an area that seeks to preserve wildlife. Furthermore,  effective and humane dog management procedures were introduced in Sauraha as recently as February 2014. What has gone wrong?

If the dogs were perceived as a threat to the national wildlife that officials in Chitwan are actively trying to preserve, an independent person or local officials could have rationalized the rash killings of the local dogs. But who would perpetrate this violence and why is still an unanswered question. Tourists who witness and hear about such animal rights violations would be turned off to visiting the area completely. Animal rights organizations are yet to take an aggressive stance in holding the responsible parties accountable, but are necessary to get to the bottom of who is responsible.

Episodes of leopards being shot or beaten by locals, like the one on 16 May in Kapan, after they wander into neighbourhoods and human settlements suggest an unhealthy relationship between nature and people as urbanisaton and technology quickly spread in Nepal.

A petition to stop dog poisoning has been circulating social media. It can be signed here.