KARACHI:
Violence against stray dogs in parts of Punjab is deeply concerning. Videos circulating on social media these days about stray dogs being poisoned and killed are too disturbing to watch. I understand that rabies is a serious problem in Pakistan, but leaving animals to die painfully on roads is not the right solution either.
Recently, there was news about the Lahore High Court banning the killing of stray dogs through poisoning and shooting. The Government of Punjab has also introduced vaccination and sterilisation programmes to control the stray dog population. However, reports of dogs being poisoned are still coming.
I strongly believe that this issue is not merely about animals, but how about we treat the voiceless creatures as a society. It’s pretty sad to observe the kind of society we are becoming that is reflective of our treatment of animals. Many people have now become so used to this violence that they do not even react anymore. For people to see dead or injured animals on the streets has become quite normal.
Animal welfare organisations and experts insists that killing stray dogs does not solve the issue for good, as new dogs emerge in the same area after some time. The provincial government should ensure that no authorities or individuals could adopt any methods to kill the stray dogs and instead make use of more humane ways of vaccination and sterilisation.
Eman Ahmed Khan
Bahawalpur
