Stupid Actvism

Recently Bangalore City authorities have passed a new bye law regarding home pets. Licencing to keep dogs and other pets has become more stringent now, the Corporation having tried to make the law at par with International standards. Good. But what about a few lakhs of stray dogs. Of course, the authorities did try to control them. When they started snaring the street dogs after promptly giving notice to the pet lovers not to allow their dogs to roam freely on the roads during the operations. But soon, there was a big hue and cry from animal rights activists. The pressure came on the government so much that it had to instruct the corporation authorities to not kill the stray dogs. And for the control of stray dogs breeding, the activists suggested to catch male dogs, sterilise and immunise them and leave! The corporation followed the suggestion. Any Tom, Dick and Harry can imagine the rate of success of this program.

Dog bites are ample in slum areas. There were and still are many dog bite deaths because of either negligence on the part of poverty stricken slum dwellers or sheer lack of enough stock of the vaccine with the Veterinary department. Sometime back a hoard of about 20 street dogs attacked a 10 year old boy returning from school and killed the boy in broad daylight in full view of a few onlookers who were afraid to scare away the dogs! However they did finally manage to drive away the dogs when more people gathered, but it proved too late because the boy died on way to hospital.

It is reported that scores of dog bite deaths take place in Bangalore every year. Yet the animal rights activists have not softened their stance against eradication of street dogs. What kind of activism is that? I call it stupidity if not megalomania, because it is very clear that they respect the rights of street dogs more than poor slum dwelling children.

I agree, there should be some kind of protection to animals, perhaps because, man is the only animal that kills others without purpose or provocation! But in Indian conditions, the activism, which should be for a noble cause, totally gets misplaced. This kind of activism goes very successfully in developed countries like the West and Australia. In fact I understand that in Australia Rabies is totally eradicated. Slum dwelling is as little as nil and above all people have far better awareness. I feel the percentage of true lovers of animals among activists is very low and a great majority of them indulge in activism for free publicity and such other benefits; what do you say?