It goes that the moral measure of any society lies in the way it treats the dead. Why not extend that dignity shown to human death to animals too, ask members of the Canine Club of Cochin while pointing to the acute shortage of pet cemeteries in the city.
According to the members, the city is in dire need of a pet cemetery, a burial place for all animals. Worldwide, it is a custom to bury animals ceremoniously, especially cats and dogs, to which people are often emotionally attached.
“It’s a very delicate situation,” says Richard, secretary of the Club. “It’s difficult to bury pets with dignity in the city, especially those reared in flats. The owners don’t mind shelling out a few bucks to bury them, but they don’t have the space,” Richard said.
The members have walked in and out of the Corporation with the request several times but in vain. “We requested the Corporation for some arrangement to set up a small animal crematorium where not just dogs or cats, but all animals can be laid to rest,” he said. According to him, the Corporation authorities were positive about the idea of the animal crematorium but it is yet to become a reality. “If the Corporation takes the initiative, we are willing to support it in a small way,” said Richard.
However, the Corporation authorities said that the idea seemed too fanciful. “The Corporation has no public space to set aside for a pet cemetery. Also, when we floated the idea in some places earlier, the neighbourhoods were quick to oppose the move,” said Corporation Town Planning Committee Chairperson K J Sohan.
He added that the Corporation was not turning a blind eye to the feelings of animal lovers but was just prioritising its preferences. “The primary concern of the Corporation is to solve the menace of street dogs which is a bigger issue. But when we contacted such Clubs to extend support for the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme to tackle the issue, very few were willing to help,” Sohan said.
Anti-Rabies Campaign Held
Kochi: An anti-rabies vaccination campaign was conducted at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor. The campaign organised by Canine Club of Cochin, was aimed at making the city rabies-free. Vice president of the the Club, Dr Sunil Kumar, led the campaign. He said that the campaign would be conducted every three months in the city. A one-year validity certificate was issued for the animals which were injected with the anti-rabies vaccine.