Activists protest apex court order on relocating strays from public places in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Hundreds of animal rights activists, rescuers, dog feeders and volunteers staged a protest on Tuesday against the Supreme Court order directing the relocation of stray dogs from hospitals, educational institutions, railway stations, bus stands and other public places. Animal rights activist Arun Prasad said, The SC is in conflict with its own rules. The law clearly says that the Animal Birth Control (ABC) and Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) rules will govern the treatment of street dogs in India. These rules make it clear that sterilised and vaccinated dogs cannot be kept in shelters; they must be released back to the same location they were picked up. But the SC now directs that street dogs, most of whom are sterilised and vaccinated, be kept in shelters. Keerthan RP, Manager at Charlies Animal Rescue Centre, said, Street dogs protect women, who are the primary feeders. Shelters are not ideal for healthy dogs. A dog should be in a shelter only if it cannot survive on the streets, which is not the case for most dogs, he said. We have case studies and policy evidence from across the world showing that removing animals from the streets does not work. Effective ABC and vaccination programmes are the only proven solutions, said Prapthi Mahendranath, member of Kumara Park Animal Aid.