A direction by the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court to the Madurai Corporation to kill incurable rabid dogs has drawn serious criticisms from several NGOs. The court observed that it was more concerned over the human lives than animal rights has also drawn flak from animal lovers.
A bench comprising Justice S Rajeswaran and Justice T Mathivanan made the observations while passing an interim order on a PIL seeking elimination of rabid dogs in the town.
Calling the observation as unfortunate, Keerthana George, who works with Help Animals and Rescue Trust (HART), said counter-measures should be implemented instead of killing dogs. “Snakes may bite us. Aren’t we taking care of them in the zoo? If animal rights are secondary, then why do we have zoos to protect the animals? Civic bodies should implement the sterilisation process seriously instead of killing animals. After all rabies are not fault of theirs,” she said.
Mini Vasudevan, Managing Trustee of Animal Welfare Association, said the court observation seems illogical. “In ecology, every animal has to co-exist and denying any animal the right to live is degradation of human values. Poor implementation of licensing and vaccination of pets are the main reasons for the menace, which need to be addressed immediately,” she said.
Vasudevan added that instead of killing dogs, steps should be taken to control their breeding process through different measures.
“Dumping of disposed eatables from hotels and houses, garbage left on streets, etc., create a favourable environment for dogs to live in the city. They mate in these filthy conditions which leads to rise in their population. So if we really want to end the menace, steps should be initiated by cleaning the city of such waste. Quick and easy solution is not possible and the cause should be addressed properly,” Vasudevan added.
Poorva Joshipura, CEO of PETA, India said one need not make choices between human lives and animal rights when it comes to stray dogs. “What’s best for dogs? Sterilisation. It helps to reduce population and keeps animals away from the streets. Sterilised animals live stronger, healthier and are less likely to roam, fight or bite,” she said.
Kalpana, who works with People for Animals, Unit II, said the court will have to change its stand. “Vaccination camps are operating across Madurai and Erode as a part of World Wide Veterinary Services. It is just a matter of time till we get rid of this menace. We need not kill in large numbers,” she said.