Our friends who cannot speak

The way we treat our animals needs to change; and that change is needed both in our behaviour as well as in the law

October 23, 2016 07:53 am | Updated December 02, 2016 11:11 am IST

In a city where people often have no roof over their heads, where the poor are often invisible to the mainstream, animals are even lower on the visibility spectrum. Worse, they are subjected to cruelty by the very people who need to protect them. It is ironic that it is mostly the people who have no roof over their heads who actually protect street animals. In many areas, development has edged animals out of their natural habitats and into direct conflict with humans.

Here’s a look at how Mumbai treats its animal population.

Street dogs: The sterilisation gap

For more than a century, street dogs in Mumbai were electrocuted if no one claimed them for three days in a row. A research paper by Jesse J. Palsetia in 2001 documents that dogs used to be caught and killed as far back as 1832, and the Parsi community had rioted to prevent this.

Much later, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) too exterminated street dogs. Figures available through Right to Information Act petitions show that 4,49,568 dogs were killed by the MCGM in the decade between 1984 and 1994.

In 1994, however, the MCGM admitted this in a circular (MCGM, Health Dept, 1994): “Hitherto this department adopted a system of catching and killing stray dogs to control their population as part of our measure to control the dreaded disease ‘rabies’ and for many years now we have killed about 45,000 stray dogs every year. In spite of killing so many dogs every year, we have not been able to bring down their population in Greater Bombay.” The MCGM abandoned the mass killing policy in 1994, and handed over the dog pounds to animal welfare non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to start a sterilisation programme.

But what was not achieved in more than 150 years could not be achieved in a short time. The city was divided geographically, NGO-wise, so that all areas get covered. Municipal corporation and NGO vans caught dogs from different areas and took them to the NGO allotted for that area. The NGO would sterilise them, keep the dogs for post-operative care and put them back in the areas they came from, administering a rabies vaccination upon discharge. Many concerned citizens, animal lovers and other animal welfare NGOs that did not have sterilisation centres, regularly brought dogs for sterilisation.

In Mumbai, there are only four centres that sterilise street dogs. Since 1994, 2,68,940 street dogs have been sterilised in Mumbai through various animal welfare NGOs like Ahimsa, AIAWA, AWS, BSPCA, In Defence Of Animals, PALS, RVSI, WSD and V-Teams. An onsite, community-driven, first-aid programme has also helped identify areas where dogs were not sterilised. The multipronged approach also helped maximise the percentage of street dogs sterilised.

The BMC has cut down the number of sterilisation centres from eight to four (they closed three and one is non-operational for want of repairs). Thus, the number of sterilisations have fallen from 33,245 in 2008 and 36,990 in 2009 to just 6414 in 2015. In spite of this, the MCGM-sponsored street dog population count in 2014 showed a very high percentage of street dog sterilisation: females, average 78 per cent and range 53-90 per cent; males, average 77 per cent and range 42-94 per cent.

Mass re-vaccination drives are held on a regular basis. The Welfare Of Stray Dogs introduced an education programme in municipal schools in 2010, in which thousands of children are sensitised about street dogs, dog bite and rabies prevention.

When the MCGM used to kill street dogs as a means of reducing both rabies and the dog population, 50 to 60 people would die of rabies every year. Since then, deaths by rabies has gone down drastically: one per year in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and none in 2014 (RTI, March 2, 2015). This has been achieved due to the consistent Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme, mass re-vaccination of street dogs, the education programme in MCGM schools about dog bite and rabies prevention, and the free post-exposure treatment for dog bites at government hospitals.

The Fix

All street dogs ought to have been sterilised by now. This can be achieved if the MCGM allocates more centres in the suburbs (currently there are only two). We need at least two more centres each in the western and eastern suburbs, with a high holding capacity, so that a total of around 30,000 street dogs can be sterilised every year. More NGO-MCGM teams need to re-vaccinate thousands of street dogs on a yearly basis so that Mumbai can be rabies-free. Mumbai has only one animal hospital and it is high time the government allocates land to build another major animal hospital that caters to the growing pet dog and cat population and the existing street dogs.

Street cats: Not on the radar

There have always been many street cats in Mumbai. According to a guesstimate, there were always more street cats than dogs in Mumbai but they were less visible due to the high street dog population. With the street dog population going down, street cats have been more visible and there is an urgent need for sterilising them too. 30 per cent of the calls to the WSD helpline are for street cats; it was only five per cent some years ago.

Some animal welfare organisations like IDA, WSD and BSPCA do sterilise cats in their dog sterilisation centres. Many private veterinarians also sterilise community cats.

The Fix

The number of cats sterilised is miniscule as compared to their population. It is time full-fledged cat sterilisation centres are opened; animal welfare organisations can only cope with small numbers due to the lack of capacity and dedicated cat wards. A cat ABC programme on similar lines as the street dogs’ programme needs to launched.

H orse carriages: Cruelty at every step

The romanticising of Mumbai’s horse-carriages, the Victorias, was never romantic for the horses. They are one of the most abused species in the city, being made to carry passengers even when injured. They often found suffer from severe dehydration, swollen joints and tendons, and foot diseases. Horses that work on concrete end up with medical issues such as laminitis where every step they take causes shooting pain. Ultimately, they meet a painful and untimely death. Their stables are so filthy that it is difficult to breathe without feeling nauseous there.

The MCGM stopped giving licences to the stables from the 1980s, because they don’t meet basic hygiene standards. The Traffic Police wants them declared illegal, as they are a huge traffic nuisance.

In June 2015, in a court case filed by PeTA, PFA and other animal welfare organisations, the Bombay High Court ordered a ban on the plying of Victorias within a year, terming them “completely illegal”; the HC also instructed the government to chalk out a rehabilitation scheme for the approximately 700 families operating the business.

The government had not drafted any concrete plan and in April 2016, the carriage owners filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court to be allowed to operate. It was, however, dismissed and the court asked them to file a review petition in the Bombay High Court. This hasn’t been done yet. The Supreme Court had given them six months to ply till such time as the review petition was pending or a rehabilitation plan is finalised.

The Fix

Though the case will go to the High Court for a review petition, it was made clear by the Supreme Court in its order that the State needs to draft a comprehensive rehabilitation scheme for carriage owners and their families. This would finally free the horses of the cruelty they have suffered for so many years in the name of tradition and the so-called iconic status given to the Victorias.

This would validate what philosopher and thinker, Albert Schweitzer has said, “The thinking (person) must oppose all cruel customs, no matter how deeply rooted in tradition and surrounded by a halo. When we have a choice, we must avoid bringing torment and injury into the life of another.”

No place for pets

The numbers of pet owners have increased. But incidents of intolerance, like not allowing animal lovers to keep pets or use lifts, have also increased in the past few years. Some years ago, The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) issued a circular that people cannot be prevented from feeding animals or keeping pets. Further, pets must be allowed to use elevators or society parks with caveats like leashing dogs when they are being walked, picking up after pets, and set timings for walking dogs in housing society premises.

The Fix

The MCGM, the Mumbai police and the office-bearers of all housing societies in Mumbai need to be aware of this circular.

But also, pet owners need to be educated. For instance, on not buying dogs from inhuman breeders and pet shops that compromise the dog’s welfare, and not buying breeds not meant for Mumbai’s climatic conditions, like the St Bernard, Siberian husky and Newfoundland, and on the advantages of adopting a dog from an animal welfare organisation.

Wild animals: The rescue conundrum

Shakuntala Mazumdar of the Thane SPCA says more wildlife is spotted in the city these days. “Many years ago, when we received a call to rescue a monkey from Marine Drive,” she says, “I volunteered to catch it. Little did I know that rescuing a monkey was not as simple as catching a dog. It was quite a sight when instead of me running after the monkey, I was fleeing for my life and this alpha male rhesus monkey was chasing me. It was evident that a higher level of expertise was needed to catch wild animals.”

Over the years, WSD has increasingly been getting calls for the rescue of monkeys, snakes, peacocks, and predator and fruit-eating birds.

The reason sightings of such animals has drastically increased is because of the depleting forest cover. As these animals search for food, they are looked upon as a menace by the city residents. Monkeys, for instance, barge into kitchens and homes in search of food. Forest Department officials are ill-equipped to handle such rescues.

The Fix

Short-term: The Forest Department needs to open a holding and treatment centre for animals rescued in the city. This centre can be used to keep the animals till they are rehabilitated, following due legal process, and proper rehabilitation protocols (which will be different for different species). The forest department is understaffed, and needs to be trained in the rescue of monkeys, peacocks and birds. It also needs to be provided with the correct equipment to catch these animals.

Long-term: Common sense would tell us that we need to plant more trees and stop deforestation so as to keep wildlife out of the city. A huge number of fruit trees should be planted so monkeys can be contained within. Another solution, which will be tough to enforce, will be to stop illegal encroachment in forest areas and not allowing construction in these areas.

Cruelty: The big fix

Animal welfare organisations, law-abiding citizens and animal lovers have been petitioning the government for a stricter Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (PCA Act). On September 18, 2016, Mumbaikars participated in a multi-city protest march, India Unites for Animals, to show that citizens care for animal rights, that enough is enough, that puppy burning, tossing dogs from terraces, kicking of horses, and other cruelties inflicted on animals will not be tolerated.

It is high time the government amends the archaic — and weak — PCA Act which has not been amended for 56 years. The rules in the Act are outdated, and the fines are low and jail terms are very short. Cases of animal abuse have increased partly because the law has failed to punish perpetrators adequately and deter others.

This clearly makes a strong case for replacement of the PCA Act with a stronger Draft Animal Welfare Bill 2014. A stronger law with stricter and higher fines would be a deterrent for people inflicting cruelties on animals.

About the author

Abodh Aras is the CEO of The Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD), a Mumbai-based organisation that carries out mass sterilisation and immunisation and a community on-site first aid programme for street dogs. With a passion for animals and a firm belief that the animal welfare sector needs to be professionalised, he quit the corporate sector and joined WSD.

He has been in the animal welfare field for more than 20 years. He serves as a board member of the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations. He also conducts workshops on organisational and skill-based topics for young animal activists.

PROTECTING ANIMALS

MCGM needs to allocate at least two more sterilisation centres each in the western and eastern suburbs, so that around 30,000 street dogs can be sterilised every year.

More NGO-MCGM teams need to re-vaccinate thousands of street dogs on a yearly basis so that Mumbai can be rabies-free

The government must allocate land to build another major animal hospital

Pet owners should refuse to buy dogs from inhuman breeders and pet shops, as also breeds not meant for Mumbai’s climatic conditions

Illegal encroachment in forest areas must stop

The government must amend the archaic and weak PCA Act and replace it with the stronger Draft Animal Welfare Bill 2014.

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