Taking cognisance of the cruel treatment of stray dogs that came to the fore in the city recently, an NGO has taken up the cudgels to prevent such inhuman treatment of the canines in future.
In a bid to curb incidents of inhuman treatment to stray dogs, city-based NGO Pune Federation of Animal Protection Organisation and Pune Animal Lovers yesterday held an awareness rally appealing to people to find a rational and long-term solution while dealing with stray dogs menace rather than abusing them.
Rallying call: A city-based NGO yesterday took to the streets to create awareness among citizens in a bid to curb incidents of inhuman treatment to stray dogs. Pic/Krunal Gosavi
ADVERTISEMENT
The rally was held after two gruesome incidents came to light in the last few days wherein a stray dog was found dead with multiple stab wounds at Pimple Saudagar, while in the second incident a 13-year old child with the help of his mother dumped seven four-day old pups in the river.
“The rally was organised to create an awareness, especially among children and parents who encourage kids to commit such acts where animals are abused just because they can’t deal with the stray dog menace,” said animal lover Dr Sushma Date. She added that the ultimate solution to stray dog problem is their sterilisation, and not by killing or hurting them.
“It is a common misconception that the PMC’s stray dog cell will promptly catch the stray dogs in your area and cage them. Dogs can only be caught for the purpose of sterilisation and they should be released back in the same area. If at all they are released in another territory, they will turn hostile and menacing for the residents.
However, it doesn’t mean that citizens should take extreme steps by hurting the animals,” said another animal lover Mudra Shirvaikar. The World Health Organization recommends systematic sterilisation, vaccination and community-level adoption of dogs, which can reduce dog population.
“Initially, I faced lot of opposition from the residents of my area in Viman Nagar where I used to feed dogs. However, later the same residents started adopting dogs,” said Darshana Muzumdar, coordinator of Pune Federation of Animal Protection Organisation.
“The stray dogs are not a menace. It’s just that people should be gentle while dealing with them, instead of ill-treating them,” said Muzumdar.u00a0
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
