Meet the 3 Telangana youths documenting dog killings – one village at a time
Members of the Stray Animal Foundation of India (SAFI), the trio have been travelling from district to district, lodging complaints of mass killings of stray dogs allegedly carried out by panchayat administrators, including sarpanches and panchayat secretaries.
In Telangana, hundreds of dog killings are being reported by just three young people — A Goutham (35), M Preethi (22) and V Vinay (22) — who are committed to saving dogs. All three hail from rural Telangana and are bound by their love for stray animals.
Members of the Stray Animal Foundation of India (SAFI), the trio have been travelling from district to district, lodging complaints of mass killings of stray dogs allegedly carried out by panchayat administrators, including sarpanches and panchayat secretaries. So far, they have reported the killing of over 1,000 dogs across the state, with complaints filed in Hanamkonda, Kamareddy, Jagtial, Ranga Reddy and Nagarkurnool districts. Seventeen people have been booked so far.
Preethi told The Indian Express that she became a dog lover at the age of 19. “I was given a pet dog which died and then I tried to adopt four stray puppies. In my village in Nagarkurnool district I was harassed for being a feeder,” she said, adding that she initially took to Instagram to report crimes against animals. “I didn’t know whom to approach when I was being harassed. I had to change homes from Atchampet to Lathipur in Nagarkurnool because the house owner threw me out for helping dogs, which were later killed,” she said.
She registered her first police complaint over animal cruelty in 2024. The 22-year-old has been in touch with politician and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi for the past two years. “She is truly inspirational and has been helping me with several cases of animal rescue,” Preethi said.
The team leader at SAFI is Adulapuram Goutham, who holds an M Tech and an LLB degree. The 35-year-old began as a dog feeder in 2018. “I used to feed 20 to 30 dogs at the time. But then people intervened, brutally captured and relocated these dogs. So I turned to animal rescue,” Goutham said. “I lodged my first police complaint in 2020,” he added. Hailing from Karimnagar town in the district of the same name, Goutham said it has always been difficult to stand up for dogs. “In small towns, villages and cities alike people are brutal to stray dogs. The dogs often live in fear,” he said. During the COVID-19 lockdown, he travelled on foot to nearby villages for animal rescue.
Vinay, 22, is the least experienced in pursuing legal action. “I have not lodged a police complaint as of now. I have only been monitoring the situation,” he said. By monitoring, he means receiving about 20 calls a day regarding incidents of animal cruelty. “There are people who call me from the remotest of villages in Telangana,” he said, adding that he has been a dog lover since childhood. “I’m the one who gave her first dog to Preethi,” he laughed.
The group works with the help of a network of dog lovers from across the state and the country. “There are people from outside Telangana who inform us of cruelty towards animals in the state. Our numbers get circulated widely,” Goutham said. Several reports are also received on the SAFI email ID, Preethi said. “We always respond to every message and every call,” she added.
Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice.
Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India.
Expertise & Focus Areas
Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include:
Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India.
Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism.
Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities.
National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting.
Authoritativeness & Trust
A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society.
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