Snehal Bhatt, Rajesh Bhavsar and other GSPCA volunteers took the buffalo to a veterinary hospital near Alembic Bridge.

The incident has revealed a shocking tale about rabaris allegedly operating along with those using the animal skin after they are dead.Asking anonymity, a shopkeeper near the Bridge told Express Newsline that when cows or buffaloes were about to die, the rabaris handed them over to the community, which takes out the skin. According to him, the community members in turn dumped the animals and took them home after they died to remove the skin.

He alleged that it was a common practice for people of the community to dump the animals near the bridge. ``On a given day, there is at least one cow or buffalo left to die,'' he said, adding that the persons concerned came twice or thrice in a day to check whether the animal had died or not.

Bhatt claimed that a rabari called Rajabhai, admitted that he had passed on the buffalo to a rickshaw driver to dump it on the road side.

``As per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, it is a crime to leave the animal to die,'' she said, adding that she had asked her rickshaw driver, who helps take sick animals to hospital, to convene a meeting of other fellow members, who leave the ailing animals on road sides.According to sources, a community member involved in removing the skin of one animal makes something around Rs 1,500 and passes on some share to the rabari.

Quoting Dr B R Thakar of the hospital, Bhatt told Express Newsline late on Wednesday night that although the animal was being treated, there were very little chances of it surviving as it had remained exposed for a whole day near the Bridge. ``In such cases, the animal needs to be massaged,'' she said, adding they might have to go for mercy killing.