In two separate incidents that happened in Mumbai, stray dogs were brutally killed. In one of the cases of animal cruelty, a stray dog named Macho was beaten to death with a washing bat by a woman. The homemaker was apparently furious after the animal vomited outside her home in D'Mello Compound near Vakola Bridge in Santacruz (East).

In another nerve-wracking case, nine stray dogs were found near a slum colony in Mira Road after being fed poison. The residents of the colony who spotted the dogs on January 18 informed local animal rights activist Vijaya Fernandes. Kolkata Shocker: 2 Women Beat 16 Puppies to Death at NRS Hospital; Watch Video.

Talking about the Santacruz case, Vandana Jadhav, a resident of the chawl told The Times of India that Macho was a neighbourhood dog and people living in and around the area took care of the animal. She said that her neighbour Vidya Lodh hit the animal with a washing bat as it had puked outside her home. When Jadhav tried to stop her, she asked her if the animal was her husband. She later applied antiseptic on the animal's body and took it to a veterinary hospital, but the doctor said it had suffered internal injuries. With the chances of its survival being very little, the animal died on January 16.

In the Santa Cruz incident, the animal rights activist reported the incident to the police. Unknown incidents have been booked under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. She alleged that men working at the construction site are the suspects. An officer from Mira Road police station said that it seems the animals were fed poison.

There is a steady increase in animal cruelty incidents in the latest past. Often stray dogs are victims of these incidents. From being beaten, heckled, sexually assaulted to being fed poison unknowingly, dogs face a lot of abuse. While a few get reported, most go unnoticed and continue to happen in society.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 24, 2019 10:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).