About 40 dogs were found dead after a farmer allegedly fed them poison laced meat at Pasumathur near KV Kuppam in Vellore.

Among the 40 dogs, it was reported that one was a pet dog while the rest were 39 stray dogs.

Sources told The New Indian Express that villagers were finding carcasses of stray dogs from Saturday.

The villagers claim that a farmer named Vallavan allegedly fed the dogs with poison laced meat.

Apparently, the farmer’s two chickens had died a week ago and he suspected that they were killed by stray dogs.

He laced a large quantity of meat with ‘kokku’ (poison) and kept it at street corners, farmlands, old buildings and shops.

On Sunday night, Kathiravan, who works in Chennai, found his dog unconscious with a foaming mouth and he rushed his dog to the hospital where the doctors declared him dead. He then filed a complaint at the KV Kuppam police station.

The KV Kuppam police said that they can only take action after ascertaining the reason for the death of the dogs.

S Ramesh, coordinator of New World Animal Rescue Charitable Trust, said that they have recovered 40 carcasses so far and they are checking the village to see if there are more.

In September 2016, 40 stray dogs were brutally killed at Kalady Grama panchayat in Ernakulam district by civic authorities and the Stray Dog Eradication Group.

Of these, at least 15 dogs were allegedly slammed onto the floor until they died. Unofficial sources said that the incident took place in the Panchayat office premises. The dead dogs were reportedly taken in a goods auto rickshaw and buried.