CHENNAI: An ambulance driver and three assistants working for People for Animals (PfA) were attacked by a group in front of Rajamangalam Police Station on Saturday afternoon when they went there to rescue goats being transported in a cramped mini lorry.

Describing the sequence of events, Shiranee Pereira of PfA, said at noon she sighted the mini-lorry packed with goats. It was taken to the police station and the PfA sought an ambulance to shift the goats. At 1.45 p.m. the group came and allegedly attacked the PfA ambulance driver Ramamurthy besides Antony Raja, Ramesh and Jayapal, the assistants, who tried to rescue the goats. The police intervened and arrested three members of the group. Later, a team of police personnel took PfA workers to their office at Pulianthope.

Every week, goats purchased from Andhra Pradesh were taken to the market at Retteri. She said animal welfare organisations were not against sale of goats, but only opposed cruel methods of transporting them.

Instead of detaining the vehicle and shifting the goats to the PfA shelter at Red Hills, the police released the vehicle carrying the goats. Attempts to rescue the injured goats proved futile, she complained.

The volunteers said it was not the first time that they faced the wrath of the cattle/sheep smugglers.

In June 2004, when they intercepted a lorry carrying 100 buffaloes, the driver and the cleaner tried to attack a PfA veterinarian. On several occasions, the police took the animals to their shelter at Red Hills. But, not this time, she complained.

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