Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 14 (ANI): Samrat Mukherjee, honorary director of a Kolkata-based NGO, reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision on the relocation of stray dogs, stated on Wednesday that it was a decision “taken in anger” and “impossible” to implement from the perspective of animal welfare.
Mukherjee argued that housing large numbers of dogs together would risk cross-infection and high mortality, while the logistics and costs involved would be prohibitive.
“It seems that the verdict is a decision taken in anger. This will help neither humans nor dogs…It is difficult to look for places to accommodate 3 lakh dogs…If these 3 lakh dogs are caught within 2 months, what would happen after that? A large area is required to keep them, and doctors would be needed. 1.5-2 lakh staff would be needed. Rs 5 Crore would be needed every week for food. Do we have that kind of money for them? Even if we have that money, there are several other things in the country on which the money can be utilised. So, the order is not viable. Its implementation is very difficult. If you keep so many dogs together, there would be fights and cross-infection. More than half the dogs would die within a week or a week and a half. This is not feasible from the animal welfare point of view,” Mukherjee told ANI.
Mukherjee said the only humane solution was to capture, neuter, vaccinate, and return the animals to the same location to prevent further breeding. He criticised the Delhi municipal authorities for not following this approach earlier, claiming their failure contributed to the current situation.
“This is an opinion of culling dogs. It sounds sophisticated that they would be taken and kept there, but ultimately they would die there…In Kolkata, all NGOs follow the same rule issued by the Government: pick up the dogs, provide them with treatment, neuter them if needed, and then drop them off at the exact same place where they were picked up. This is the rule…This is not the solution. There is just one solution for stray dogs. Catch them, humanely neuter them so that they do not have any offspring. Then release them at the same location. Had Delhi Municipality done this properly earlier, this day would not have come…Even if you catch the 3 lakh dogs, would the space be unoccupied? No. Dogs would come in from surrounding areas, and the area would be covered up once again. But these dogs would not be vaccinated and neutered…” he added.
The NGO run by Mukherjee cares for stray and abandoned pet dogs, providing shelter and medical treatment.
On Monday, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said that all localities should be made free of stray dogs and there should not be any compromise. It also made it clear that no captured animal will be released back on the streets.
It also ordered contempt proceedings against any individual or organisation that attempts to obstruct the authorities from carrying out the capture drive.
“If any individual or organisation comes in the way of picking stray dogs or rounding them up, we will proceed to take action against any such resistance,” said Justice Pardiwala. (ANI)
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