Animal welfare versus human lives
Editor,
Kudos to the unknown author of the letter, “Menace of street dogs!” (ST, October 9, 2023) for asking the champions of animal rights why they should not be held accountable for the plight of a daily wage-earner, destitute girl who was bitten by a street dog in Lower Mawprem, Shillong and had to spend already more than a thousand rupees from her hard-earned money for rabies vaccination and ongoing treatments.
In India thousands of people especially young ones die every year of dog bites. According to World Health Organization rabies deaths account for eighteen to twenty thousand fatalities every year in India. But no action plan has yet been taken to stop the menace because the majority of victims are not elite who travel by car.
Interestingly, commercial action films are all about man-man conflicts. But the reel world fails to highlight man-animal conflicts of the real world. The real struggle of the villagers who have been trying to survive amid frequent attacks of elephants and other wild animals does not find a place in popular movies.
Even a man-eater tiger enjoys higher status than poor people in our society! When a man-eater tiger gets killed, public outcry against its killing looms large. But the victims of the tiger attacks do not get as much sympathy. Just a year ago, Norwegian authorities faced criticism for their move to kill a walrus. But what the Director General of Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, Frank Bakke-Jensen said in response needs to be followed in India. He said, “We have great regard for animal welfare, but human life and safety must take precedence.” This attitude is definitely one of the reasons why Norway remains either at first or second position in the Human Development Index year after year.
All the street dogs must immediately be sterilized and kept in an enclosed area to minimise a colossal loss of human lives. Also, adequate measures need to be taken to protect the lives of the ordinary citizens that walk the streets or are living close to the forests from the attack of wild animals.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata
Man-animal conflict on the rise
Editor,
I have been reading about the human-animal conflict, particularly attacks by wild elephants on human habitation and their farms from time to time in your esteemed daily. Often these attacks by wild elephants result in fatalities but no one is held responsible. The loss of an earning member to a family is a loss that cannot be replaced by a one-time grant but even that is not available in case of an attack by wild elephants in villages. It is taken for granted that wild elephants will attack and that humans should not encroach into territories that are essentially elephant corridors. The death of a human being on account of attacks by wild elephants makes news for a day and is forgotten but if humans fight back and an elephant should perchance be killed then there is a hue and cry and often it even attracts international attention. While we understand that animals and humans have the right to co-exist and that mutual respect for one another’s territories is important the problem today is the population explosion in both the human and animal world. Both are trying to protect their territories; hence conflict is inevitable.
Coming to the point about stray dogs and the rampant attack on passers-by in almost all localities of Shillong, the point is that beyond a point the stray dog population is unsustainable. This is why municipalities in the metros take responsibility to ensure that the encounters between such stray dogs that attack humans are minimal. In Shillong the so-called dog lovers feed these stray dogs but don’t look after them after the feeding is done. These dogs then roam the streets and tend to attack passers-by. There have been many such instances in and around the Mawprem area but the Shillong Municipal Board has not taken any action to tackle the menace of stray dogs that attack unsuspecting passers-by. This is unacceptable! Then we also have many bleeding hearts that speak about cruelty to animals. I am afraid that such people cannot have selective sympathy only for animals while ignoring what happens to humans that are victims of dog bites. There is really no organisation in Shillong that really cares for stray dogs in a professional way. Feeding stray dogs does not end the responsibility of dog lovers. Dogs need care and we are aware of how much care is given to pet dogs by individuals while stray dogs are left to roam the streets.
If there are organisations that genuinely care for dogs then let them come forward and take custody of all the stray dogs otherwise the Shillong Municipality has to do its duty of putting such dogs that endanger humans, to sleep.
Yours etc.,
Goethe War,
Via email
Mental health concerns
Editor,
The editorial “World Mental Health Day,” (ST Oct 10, 2023) is a timely reminder that more and more people across all age groups are being sucked into the abyss of mental health illness. This is something that grows insidiously and is often not detected by immediate family members until the person takes a drastic step like suicide. It is important for all educational institutions to create awareness about mental health and also space where those who feel they are dragged into depression can get counselled before it is too late.
There is no doubt that social media has created a culture of loneliness amidst a crowd. Most young people today prefer to engage with virtual persons on their mobile phones rather than speak to a real person. Perhaps they feel safer with someone they can disconnect at will rather than having to deal with a real person who might seek for lasting friendship or a long term commitment. Meghalaya is also now a hub of drugs where every single day police are apprehending drug traffickers. This means that Meghalaya is both a transit route for drugs and also has a significant number of drug- consumers. Many families are today trying to cope with at least one drug addict or alcoholic in the family. It is a tough situation they face because while other members of the family are pursuing their livelihoods, one members is simply a burden. Attempts to send such members for rehabilitation which in turn requires money often proves futile. They return home only to get back into the same old practice. Families are desperate and they too need counselling on how to deal with such situations. Clearly, the Meghalaya Government needs to come up with strategies for families engulfed by the problem of drug addiction of a family member, instead of just arresting the drug peddlers.
One question that bothers me is what happens to the large quantities that escape the eye of the law and are sold in different parts of Meghalaya. Surely the police cannot be detecting every vehicle that comes into the state. At this rate the future of our younger generation is at stake. Society too should take responsibility for this proliferation of drug users. Are we failing our younger generation?
Yours etc.,
Cynthia Lyngdoh Tron,
Via email