Pune News : Community Animal Caretakers raise voice against cruelty to animals
Pune: Hundreds of animal lovers on Sunday, March 12 gathered at Collector’s Office Pune and staged a protest to raise their voice against the rising bias of people for community animals and animal workers.
According to protesters, in the past few months, there have been incidents where community dog caretakers and feeders have been targeted and blamed for the increasing number of stray dogs in the area.
In the recent case of Brahma Suncity the dogs were picked up in a very inhuman manner and relocated. Protesters demanded to reinvestigate this incident.
Anjana Mishra said, “These days cases are rising where stray dog feeders are intimidated and abused by the people. The Brahma Suncity incident is a case where the dog bite can not be proved, there is no explanation behind relocating 40-50 dogs.’’ Mishra told that they are demanding to follow WHO guidelines for aggressive sterilisation in a coordinated manner as Bhutan has done. Protesters also demanded adopting indigenous dogs and enforcing a blanket ban on illegal backyard breeders.
Nilesh Khare said that, “They have demanded that more funds should be directed to ABC programmes and anti rabies programmes which can be invested in increasing the quality and scale of operations.’’
He further demanded, training and sensitisation of police and civic officials towards existing provisions and laws pertaining to animal cruelty and the rights of community animals and their caretakers in India.
The protestors staged their protest with a few suggestions :
Community Animal Caretakers have decided gather in large numbers outside the Collector’s office in Pune with few suggestions such as:
- Following WHO guidelines for aggressive sterilization in a coordinated manner, as Bhutan has done successfully.
- Adopting indigenous dogs and enforcing a blanket ban on illegal backyard breeders.
3. Relocating animals from one area to another is not an effective solution. Today, the Constitution of India provides the rights for the safety and welfare of all sentient beings, hence, it is crucial to address the issue of proliferating stray dog populations in India in a way that aligns with this principle. Animal lovers play a critical role in this effort, working with municipal corporations, bureaucracies, and NGOs to keep the population in check and avoid human-animal conflicts.
4. It is the natural right of community dogs (and other animals), whether they reside inside or outside housing societies, to exist peacefully. The Indian legal system also protects these rights. Citizens have the right to feed community dogs, and it is recommended that any issues with particular dogs be addressed with the feeder or caretaker of the area.
