The mating season, according to Mr. Rao results in a spurt in the canine population, the female of the species with nowhere to go, deliver their pups within the compounds of buildings and flats, which in turn results in the irate building in-mates throwing out the pathetic little creatures which lie whining on the streets or get run over by speeding vehicular traffic.
Thus, to put an end to the “this-is-the-house-that-Jack-built” syndrome, Mr. Rao got in touch with the Animal Welfare Association authorize who acted promptly and got the creatures sterilized. Mr. Rao also feeds these dogs regularly and they show their loyalty by keeping guard over his gates (incidentally this writer got a taste of their ferocity whilst on a visit to his house).
Feeding these dogs also made him observe another interesting facet of canine life, they select a day on which they abstain from food. Instead they feed on the top most layer of grass which has medicinal value and acts as a purgative, cleaning their intestines. He humourously says tha at times the dogs do not touch food that’s left over from the day before !
The municipal authorities did make an attempt to do their bit by putting the stray dogs to sleep. However their methods were denounced as painful, barbaric and banned, and no suitable alternative was devised. Interaction with the authorities reveals that painless methods of killing needed separate allocation of funds, but more important was the need of public awakening and awareness which would go a long way in containing the dog populace, preventing diseases like rabies and at the same time contribute to general public health.
When questioned on his motive vis-à-vis rescuing strays and getting them sterilized, his response is overwhelming – pure affection and sympathy” he smiles. “Dogs are loyal, loving creatures and seeing them whine pitifully or get run over is very tragic, hence I’m doing my bit albeit in a small way, to see that these creatures at least get a decent treatment.”
He gets terribly upset when little pups get separated from their mothers “very painful” is his observation.
What really astounds one is the irrefutable logic in his point of view “ we are born in the land of Mahatma Gandhi who preached and professed love, compassion, tolerance and ahimsa towards all living beings we also hve a Maneka Gandhi (an interesting coincidence is in the similarity of both the initials ) whose fiercely protective attitude towards the four-legged creatures and a decisive drive against cruelty to animals (ahimsa again, though in a different form) is highly commendable, yet inspite of the existence of such legacies to be proud of and learn lessons from, we still witness so much cruelty, which ranges from the deliberate to the totally apathetic” “I don’t understand” he shrugs off resignedly.
The irony indeed is hard to miss
- Renu