The conflict between Animal & Human Welfare
14 - 30 January – Animal Welfare Fortnight

S Balakrishnan *

A 7th century sculpture in Mahabalipuram, TN

The conflict between human welfare and animal welfare is not restricted just to the wild animals in the forests alone. Of late, this conflict is raging in our cities and towns mainly because of the stray dogs and cattle that have become a life-threatening menace.

While the former conflict is taken care of by the forest department, the latter is dealt by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) which has initiated various measures for the welfare of domestic animals as well as to address related issues. Among these, the human vs. street/stray dog and cattle issue is getting serious by the day.

The birth control step to contain the stray dog population does not seem to have succeeded. Maybe there also the male dogs are evading sterilization and forcing the female dogs to undergo the operation, as is the case among the humans!

Very often we hear reports from across the country of pack of stray dogs attacking passersby; children have even died of such attacks. Once I noticed ten street dogs in the 10th street; luckily there were not 11 dogs in our 11th street!

The success of anti-rabies vaccine measure is also questionable. Attacks by stray cattle and accidents caused by their strolling in the streets are becoming rampant. With cows being worshipped as gomatha, there seems to be no end to this problem either. A recent report indicates that the tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan had succeeded, after a continuous 14-year effort, to achieve 100% sterilization of stray dogs.

However, I wonder if Bhutan will be able to detect the sneaking of dogs from the surrounding neighbor countries when it is not able to contain intrusion of Chinese forces into its territory!

It is true indeed that without the animals, the birds, the creeping & crawling living beings and the insects, there is no human life in this world. So it becomes our bounden selfish duty to care for the other living beings.

The Animal Welfare Fortnight that is observed annually from January 14 to 30 is to remind us about caring for these living beings. But it is also true that daily millions of cattle/poultry are slaughtered and trillions of fish are caught for human consumption. Survival of the fittest, I suppose.

Perhaps towards protecting the animals, the Hindu gods and goddesses have either an animal or bird as their transport (mount / vaahan) mode. Siva – bull, Durga – lion/tiger, Saraswathi – swan, Ganesh – mooshika, Vishnu – garuda, Bhairava – dog, Krishna as cowherd, and so on and so forth. Naturally, people revere these animals and birds which indirectly help their survival.

In fact, Bhagwan Vishnu’s first three avtars were in the form of fish (Machha), tortoise (Koorma) and boar (Varaha); the fourth was half human (Nara) and half animal (Simha/Singha).

No doubt I love animals but somehow I can’t bear to see the pet dogs & cats roaming freely inside the house and sharing the bed and furniture. Just imagine the fine hair these pets would be shedding all around; dreadful!

What is horrible is the dog licking the owner’s face and the owner kissing the dog & cat … ugh, nauseating! But be assured that I do love animals … from a safe distance. The pet owners go to any extent to express their love towards their pet. What if the pet owner was an Emperor?

Well, Emperor Akbar built a tower for his pet elephant Hiran. The 21.34 m tower is beside Akbar’s fort in Fatehpur Sikri near Agra; the outer wall of this tower has spikes resembling the tusk of Hiran, the elephant.

Ms. Rao bottle feeding squirrel

The stand of animal lovers in the Jallikattu (Tamil Nadu’s traditional bullfight) issue raised suspicions. It is one thing to regulate Jallikattu but completely another thing to ban it altogether. What is their stand as regards Spain’s famous bullfight wherein the bulls are speared to death? However, here in Tamil Nadu, the men only try to subdue the animal with bare hands and by hugging the bull.

Hence it is called ‘aeru’ (bull) ‘thazhuval’ (hug/embrace). When the whole of Tamil Nadu rose in unison against banning this sport, the stupid move was given up. It was seen as a move by foreign elements to obliterate the culture and tradition of Tamil Nadu and India as well.

I must mention here about a wonderful person in Andamans whom we met in 2009. When we visited the Ross Island just across Port Blair to see the British-period ruins, Ms. Rao offered to guide us through.

The animals and birds there – spotted deers, ducks and squirrels – came running towards her when she called them out by their individual names. It was so amazing! She had been commended by both the Indian Army & Navy for her extraordinary bonding with these creatures.

But then here is another problem caused by the humans to the animals - the plastic bags and other plastic trash that is unintentionally consumed/swallowed by both the domestic as well as wild animals and also by sea creatures. Can this be solved at all?

The water bowls kept in our terrace also serve as swimming pools for the crows; squirrels, mynas and pigeons also quench their thirst. A crow that sat in our window sill and demanded biscuit and snacks has brought in a murder (group) of crows besides attracting mynas and squirrels.

So much for my kindness towards animals and winged friends! Oh yes, as a vegetarian I am sure I have saved the lives of many cattle, poultry and fish during all these 60+ years. Is it too much to expect an award during this Animal Welfare Fortnight?