Unfair exchange

We choose to tread these paths when other countries have given up setting foot on them. That was my first reaction. At a time when all countries are attempting to eliminate this 8220;murder8221; from their agenda, we choose to bring it on to ours. And that this cold-blooded murder has the sanction of the government when Union minister for social welfare and empowerment and animal rights8217; most vociferous campaigner Maneka Gandhi is plugging the sterilisation programme is shocking. Gandhi had recently mooted the animal birth control programme in Ahmedabad under which dogs would be sterilised and returned to their original environment instead of being shifted out of the city or poisoned.

What makes the Srinagar programme ironic is that the previous day I read a report that said troops stationed at Siachen had announced that local dogs untrained and wild helped make life easier for them. Think about it: at those lofty, lonely heights, it is these animals who warn soldiers about impending doom like avalanches. They are the ones who bark when intruders, who cannot be seen in the still of the night, approach. Who are companions, pets, friends and, at times, even mail-bearers. Day in and day out, they help, seeking only love, affection and a chunk of bread as reward.

8220;Animals have a high breeding rate and their numbers have to be controlled,8221; people advocating the dog death drive have told me. 8220;This is the only way it can be done.8221; What the experts have to say is an entirely different story. According to them, killing the canines indiscriminately has no effect on their numbers. It is only sterilisation that will help check the burgeoning population. But perhaps the municipality men know better.

The dog enjoys a position un-ique in the ecosystem of the city: what the wolf is to the rural environment, the dog is to the urban landscape. A scavenger. It is he who keeps the city clean of all those rodents and other small animals, which would otherwise create havoc in our lives. If the dog population is upset, naturally the balance in nature8217;s pyramid is bound to change. But, when the government proposes, mere mortals cannot dispose.

Perhaps, to a person not too fond of dogs, this reaction would seem extreme. After all, a dog is just another irritant in his orderly life. An irritant who barks at all the wrong times, runs alongside his vehicles at others. And when thousands of human beings die each day, bothering about dogs is 8220;trivial.8221; But then, aren8217;t dogs part of a chain created by God? When, after decades of debates and discussions, we have not been able to accept euthanasia as part of medical treatment, why is it so much easier to accept it for dogs? Is it because the dumb beast cannot speak and stand up for himself? He leads a dog8217;s life, but should he also dies a dog8217;s death?