‘We will do anything to save stray dogs’: Protesters urge authorities to step up sterilisation in Delhi

The protesters, who alleged that permission to hold demonstrations inside the ground was cancelled at the last moment, marched till the 108-foot Hanuman statue in Karol Bagh after protesting for over two hours.

Police personnel stationed in the area, however, claimed that multiple applications had been received, but not a single permission was granted.

“Yesterday, we received multiple calls from police officers who told us that we could protest and that we would be provided security, but when we arrived today (Sunday), they denied permission,” says Rishi Sharma, founder of Bharat Mata Rescue Animal Trust.

Ashima Sharma (50), an animal feeder and caregiver, claimed that people want to work with the authorities, but they do not respond. “We call the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to urge officials to pick up dogs for sterilisation, but they do not respond. If they do, they say: ‘The driver is on leave’. But now, they are picking dogs during the night. How?”

Another dog feeder from Shahdara’s Ashok Nagar, Suraj Chaudhary (46), said that he has got 22 stray dogs sterilised. He has fed them and taken care of their medical bills for 27 years now. “We will do anything to save our dogs, but I won’t let even one dog get picked up from my colony. They are my family,” he said, adding that he was ready to cooperate with the authorities.

During Sunday’s protest, people also held placards. Some read: ‘Stop relocation, start vaccination and sterilisation,’ ‘Awareness of rabies is needed, not elimination of an entire species,’ ‘Have compassion for living creatures’. Some protesters used megaphones to raise slogans like: “Speak with us, CM Rekha Gupta,” “No dog, no vote”.

Sheila Devi in her forties from Gol Market who feeds 8 stray dogs hails the apex court decision as wrong. “They should follow the ABC rule rather than mass relocating them. They bite only when they are hungry or somebody teases them.” Soon she is interrupted by another protester who says why not videos of puppies being thrown into drains are getting viral, citing they are also kids. “There is no clue of any shelter, which place, at least tell us where you all are taking them?” she asks.

Ambika Shukla, Trustee of People from Animals says dogs have co- existed along with humans. “ “These dogs have existed here in many areas and lived here even before these colonies were built. Now that people have moved in, the same dogs are suddenly seen as a nuisance — why should they be gotten rid of ?” she questions adding that a dog bites in a state of fear as proven by animal behavioural experts.

Shukla adds, “If the world’s apex body WHO clearly states that ABC method is the only proven way to curb dog populations, bites and rabies, why ignore the experts and impose our own uninformed views?” adding that the problem lies in poor implementation of the existing policies.

She says that the authorities need to rope in the community feeders, “the feeder knows every dog. Come and stand at the start of a gully, the feeder can bring every dog. This is more systematic, and efficient. The feeders are an asset, not an adversary,” she says, adding that every dog bite needs to be assessed before categorising it as a case of dog bite.