City-based animal welfare workers say the central body should refrain from knee-jerk reactions and look at the big picture. They opine that ‘no ABC’ is seldom the option as it is a public programme that is done keeping in mind the welfare of both stray dogs and humans.
The central government issued a circular on March 12 banning the import, breeding, and sale of 23 foreign dog breeds on the pretext of these breeds being ferocious and thus dangerous to human life. However, Karnataka HC has now quashed the circular, stating a lack of stakeholder consultation.
Earlier this year, the department, in collaboration with animal welfare NGOs in the city, had launched a physical awareness drive to combat animal cruelty incidents in the city, especially those involving street dogs. The physical drive in association with Sahavarthin Animal Welfare Trust is available free-of-cost for housing societies.
They pointed out that whether a small vet dispensary, a clinic or taluk level hospital or even a super specialty Hospital like Queens there must be adequate stocks of medicines, consumables and equipment required to treat companion animals and that it is critical for AHVS centres to heal with enough material and medicines to save the very lives that they are set up to focus on.
Barring two locations - Mysore Road and Basaweshwaranagar- all other stations recorded higher percentage variation of noise levels this Deepawali compared to last year’s. The percentage variation of noise levels recorded during 2022 Deepawali, when set side by side with 2021 Deepawali, were much lower.