- Most Indians are emotionally/sensitively aware of their responsibilities towards other species, especially animals/birds, which is a well-established fact that needs no further elaboration. So much so that Indians explicitly show veneration towards fellow species by identifying many of them with gods and goddesses is a well-known practice too. Several animals and birds that are likened to and associated with celestial beings are diligently acknowledged and adhered to in our collective psyche. Of course, certain animals have a special place for the Indian people can be gauged by how lovingly and affectionately they take care of them. Take, for instance, how the man’s best friend, dogs/cats, and cows, are treated in the country.
PC: NDTV
- Then there are the issues of scores of stray dogs simply abandoned mercilessly by us, leaving the furry friends to fend for themselves amid challenges galore. The urban stray dogs are a great cause for concern for the administration, which has attracted attention no less than the Supreme Court itself. The SC has been fronting for the stray dogs in the last few years, despite the Animal Birth Control (ABC) measures introduced haven’t really been effective on expected lines. A few strictures passed by the SC haven’t yielded desired results either. The problem with re-litigation of the same issue over and over again is not just that this is exhausting for those concerned, but also that it keeps setting progress back. This issue deserves to be mulled over seriously.
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PC: LawBeat
- Last week, the SC ordered that every Indian educational institution, hospital, sports complex, bus stand, depot, and railway station must remove all stray dogs and keep them away with proper fencing. This flies in the face of two particulars that had become crystal clear when SC corrected its own much-criticized judgment on stray dogs in August. One, animal management asks are meaningless when they are not tied to meaningful funds. Two, capturing dogs in one location and releasing them in another, as has been directed, is both cruel and contrary to ABC rules, which find legality through a statute. Consider how the costs of fencing off public spaces like bus stands would be prohibitive, even if a so-far-unknown design for this were to be devised.
PC: The Hans India
- Schools struggling to provide education and midday meals should hardly be making a priority of walls either. Of course, sterilization and vaccination, in accordance with the ABC Rules, 2023, are both compassionate and scientific things to do. But experts estimate that fewer than 100 ABC centres are currently functional across India’s 800 districts. In the capital city itself, their state is dismal – kennels overcrowded, payments delayed, staff untrained and overworked. Courts and govts can keep making more demands of these centres, but how can they deliver without the necessary support? SC monitoring how effectively ABC centres are provisioned in different states is one thing that would make a real difference. A practical and pragmatic approach would be useful here. All stakeholders should adopt such an approach that is workable/implementable.
