Residents gathered atFreedom Park on Sunday to protest against Animal Husbandry Minister PrabhuChauhan¡¯s statement that Bengaluru will be free of stray dogs.?The minister hadon July 7 said that the three lakh stray dogs will be moved to a shelter.
Sujata Prasanna, a member of Action for Animal Justice, called the statement ¡®misleading¡¯.
¡°First, thereis no such facility available in Bengaluru, which can accommodate lakhs ofdogs. Second, the statement is in contempt of the Supreme Court¡¯s rulings andguidelines and violates the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960,¡± shesaid.
Stray dogs areprotected under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and rulesenacted under Section 38 of the act, particularly the Animal Birth Control(Dogs) Rules, 2001, which makes it illegal for an individual, residents¡¯welfare association or estate management to remove or relocate dogs.
People tried relocating dogs assuming that the minister had given them permission.
¡°The municipalcorporation can only take the street dogs away for neutering/spaying. Followingthe operation, the municipal corporation must ensure that the dogs are returnedto their former territory to avoid dogfights,¡± Sujata said as per The DeccanHerald.
The minister¡¯sstatement triggered a surge in complaints against animals, she said.
¡°His remarkshave caused undue anxiety and concern among animal caretakers,¡± she said.
She adds: ¡°Wehave sent numerous e-mails to the minister¡¯s office, filed RTIs and met him inperson. He had promised to clarify his statement after a meeting with the BBMPand the animal husbandry department within?10 days. But no suchclarification has been issued yet.¡±
Nearly 60 citizens gathered at the protest asked the minister to clarify his remarks.
The animal husbandry department isthinking about making Bengaluru stray dog-free after getting many complaints ofdog attacks and rabies in the city, as per details by the department.
¡°It is important to catch the street dogsand give them all the required vaccines so that people need not have to worryabout street dogs. We are also planning to bring them under one shelter wherethey can be rescued and properly taken care of so that people don't get anyscarcity and disturbance by the street dogs,¡± said Chauhan.
He further said that considering all thedetails given by the BBMP and the animal husbandry department officials ¡°wewill take the decision to make Bengaluru stray dog-free.¡±
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