“The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog.” – M.K. Clinton
As per a paper at IJMR , annual dog biting incidences in India are 17.4 million ( 1.74 crore ) .
Above two contrasting sentences , are the basis of this article which delves on ethical , legal , emotional , practical, environmental, historical perspectives related to man-animal coexistence vis a vis conflict .
On a planet scale , millions of species have coevolved and their diversity gives resilience to our ecosystem.
While coexistence is the nature , conflict between species is governed by natural laws of population equilibrium and “survival of fittest “.
Dogs , hens , milch animals have existed within human society since dawn of humanity itself .
Indian epics mention a dog who went on a journey to Himalayas with king yudhisthira in Mahabharata. Eskimos and aleutians have used dogs for hunting , transport etc since millions of years .
Today on the eve of World dog day , it’s pertinent to think about contrast among three verticals:
1- natural coexistence of all species within natural laws
2- human urge to keep pets and happiness derived from it
3- biting and other disease risks from pets and street animals
Ethically all species have right to survive and exist . Humans , because of there technological prowess have achieved a “super species ” status . Normal laws of “might is right ” among species can’t be applied where humans are in picture . Humanity in itself encompasses compassion towards living beings .
Indian laws , particularly prevention of cruelty to animals act , delineate five freedoms for animals :
Freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition
Freedom from discomfort due to environment
Freedom from pain, injury and diseases
Freedom to express normal behaviour for the species
Freedom from fear and distress
Recent incidents of some urban societies related to dog biting have created a lot of social media furore .
Concern is genuine , but response is knee-jerk .
What we need is proper infrastructure for stray dogs , training and registration of pet keepers , shelter homes for street animals , good facilities for sterilisation of street animals , social awareness and compassion for avoidance of cruelty to other animals .
It’s not only out choice , but our compulsion too.
It’s our exponential population rise and our invasion of forests that spaces for other species have shrunk rapidly. Hence it’s our moral duty to create structures for there coexistence.
There might be some economic arguments regarding prioritisation of funds , but if we see from a hawk eye perspective, investment in urban infrastructure which creates a compassionate society , makes us more humane .
Need of the hour is to have one earth approach , where all animals and plants are considered vital parts for survival of our planet and in turn us .
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