The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Mare goes berserk at residential colony

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 22, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Mare goes berserk at residential colony

K.V. Prasad

Attacks passersby; public demand action

GOT YOU, AT LAST: A mare, that kicked and bit people on Collector Sivakumar Street in K.K. Pudur in the city on Thursday, being tied to a pole. Photo: M. Periasamy

COIMBATORE: A mare held residents of Collector Sivakumar Street in K.K. Pudur hostage in their homes on Thursday after it bit a man around 9.45 a.m. The white mare's companion - a brown horse - appeared least amused until residents and a few Corporation workers threw a noose around the mare to tie it to a electric pole.

Loitering aimlessly till then, the horse was incensed at the sight of the mare being trapped and attempted to continue it's companion's "unfinished task" of kicking people around.

The horse too was trapped and tied to another pole. Both were taken away in a Corporation lorry around 1.30 p.m.

By then, both the animals had created enough flutter in the locality. They prevented people from stepping out of their homes, kept the local Councillor, `Colony' R. Venkatachalam, galloping around for nearly four hours in search of a solution and forced the Corporation Commissioner, Anil Meshram, and other officials to reach the scene of action. Residents were anguished but were not totally surprised. It was only waiting to happen, they said, pointing to a number of complaints they had made but which yielded no solution.

Councillor's plea

"Whenever I raised this problem in the Council, everyone laughed at me," said a distraught Mr. Venkatachalam. What happened on Thursday only revealed the seriousness of the problem that had been persisting for years, he said.

The Councillor said horses that loitered on Thadagam Road strayed into residential colonies in Saibaba Colony and K.K. Pudur and attacked people. But no action had been taken so far.

"It all began around 9.30 a.m. when I was informed of the mare rushing at people passing by the reserved site. Even as I was trying to inform Corporation officials, it bit an elderly person and kicked him. Two days ago, a person from Ramani Street suffered fractures in a similar attack," said Mr. Venkatachalam.

Till about 11 a.m. the mare kept snorting at the sight of people. A few minutes later, residents and some workers of the civic body managed to get a rope, made a noose and threw it at the mare.

They could manage to throw it only around its right hind leg. However, the rope held steadfast on to the limb and people tied it around a pole. Later, they threw a noose around its neck and released the leg. Seeing this, the horse turned angry and rushed at the people. It was also captured. Soon, inspectors from the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the Corporation Zoo Director, S. Thirukumaran, also arrived.

The Commissioner, who arrived past noon, asked officials to carry out a week's drive in this region to trap stray horses and hand them over to the SPCA.

The Councillor suggested that a fine much higher than the present Rs. 500 should be slapped on the owners of the horses. Residents said at least 50 horses could be found on either side of NSR Road, scaring morning walkers, students and office-goers. Thursday's episode should help bring about a solution, they said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News Update

Stories in this Section

Mare goes berserk at residential colony

SHGs into marketing SHGs into marketing

A seminar for success in exams

Elephant attacks farm worker