Opinion

Kuttay ki maut

The government and those responsible for this campaign to cull stray dogs must remember that animals have rights too

Nabeeha Ahmed February 23, 2015

The writer is a freelance contributor

The Karachi municipal authorities and other bodies such as the Cantonment Board Clifton need to stop the brutal killing of stray dogs that is going on in Karachi right now. Personnel from these departments have been seen to just randomly shoot these innocent souls. Such mercilessness does not solve any problems or difficulties that citizens may be facing on account of stray dogs.

It has been noticed that the authorities leave the dogs’ bodies lying on the roads after shooting them. Many of these dogs are then seen to be writhing between life and death, and are seen to be struggling in a highly painful manner. Many have even been found alive, suffering from serious pain. Do the people assigned the task of shooting stray dogs not have hearts? How can they act in such a merciless manner?

A screengrab of a video taken by Karachi resident Hira Tareen and posted on Facebook here

From amongst the dogs who are being shot, very few are actually lethal enough to harm humans. The best solution to counter the problems that stray dogs may be posing is to start a Trap Neuter Release (TNR) programme. Neutering a dog basically involves sterilising it through an operation.

In the case of female dogs, the uterus and ovaries are removed and for males, the testicles are removed. This operation makes the animal less prone to diseases and can add to its life years. It also makes an animal less dangerous for humans. The animal also gets involved in less aggressive activities. The Animal Care Association Pakistan has started a TNR programme in this regard, but the government needs to provide the organisation with more funding so that its programme can be an effective one. In addition, the authorities also need to fund other animal rescue groups, which are willing to start such programmes but cannot do so because of lack of funds.

The government and those responsible for this campaign to cull stray dogs must remember that animals have rights too and must not be treated in the callous manner that has been witnessed all over Karachi in recent days.

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Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2015.

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COMMENTS (7)

Pakistan Animal Welfare Society | 9 years ago | Reply Thank you for writing about the plight of stray dogs and advocating humane alternatives. We have put together a few resources on stray dog management - please do have a look. http://pawspakistan.org/2015/02/23/humane-solutions-stray-dog-management-for-pakistan/

Max | 9 years ago | Reply Awful. Even if the dog is to be put to sleep, there are much more humane alternatives. And Please sterilise the stray dogs instead. Also how can we expose our kids to such cruelty. It's horrible if it is being done so openly on the streets.

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Zara Tareen | 9 years ago | Reply Thank you for sharing this story Nabeeha. I had the misfortune of witnessing & capturing this but maybe it is a blessing in disguise. I am so happy and thankful for hundreds of people sharing this story. Inshallah I am meeting with someone in charge of all Karachi Cantts to see how we can address this issue and suggest the humane way of vaccinating/sterilising these poor animals. Killing them is not the way. I strongly believe that if a change can be made here by caring for and having respect for the lives of these helpless animals, it will ultimately lead to a change in the mindset that has unfortunately plagued our country of senseless taking of lives all around. Please share this video as much as possible and lets not become so desensitized.

Khalid Shaikh | 9 years ago | Reply Where humans are killed like dogs on the streets, who cares for dogs. Where polio workers are being shot dead for vaccinating human babies, you think someone cares about vaccinating dogs?? I say, kill all stray dogs, and then make sure stray dogs are kept in check in the future, caught and vaccinated immediately. I mean vaccinating 1000s and 1000s of dogs and keepig them in asylum is not an option, Maybe we can then ship them to Europe, they love dogs. It should have a trickle down effect, Lets start from Islamabad!

Saad A. Shah | 9 years ago | Reply Thank you Nabeeha for writing something which is equally important as the other news but does not count as we have become used to of hearing Humans being given 'Kuttay ki Maut' so frequently and maybe the respective authorities may not even understand the purpose of saving these poor 'Real' dogs. May your effort bring peace to Dog as well as Human lives.

F Khan | 9 years ago | Reply In a country where humans are being killed without any cause or reason.I find the writer to have great courage to write on dog's right.

Human | 9 years ago | Reply Hazrat Umar (RA) once said that,

"Even if a dog died of hunger and thirst at the bank of the Euphrates in Baghdad, he would be held accountable by Almighty Allah."

If these dogs are a risk for rabies transmission then they must be vaccinated and given shelter to quarantine them instead of killing them. Many times I have seen small puppies left behind after their mothers are killed. It is a very cruel and inhumane practice. Day by day our society is moving backwards.

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