Victims of Vexation

Lockdown and Covid 19 have forced people to stay at home. People have lost their jobs and have seen their very beloved ones die in front of them. Inflation, poor administration, unemployment, government and lack of resources have further made people vexed and lugubrious. But is it only humans who are suffering?

Imagine a market you visit every day, jammed up with people. But suddenly you start noticing that the market is empty, the place which didn’t even have the space to move properly is deserted. Won’t you be flummoxed? How will you act to such a situation?

Similarly, there has been a behavioral change noted among dogs as well. Many animal activists said that the stray dogs are accustomed to human presence and humans feeding them especially in areas like markets. This has caused a shortage for food among dogs as there is no one to feed them and this makes them fight and compete for food.

But this is not the main concern as this can be easily handled if people just take a small initiative of feeding dogs in their local area or street and if they can’t then they can donate to organizations and individuals that do so. The main concern is increase in animal cruelty cases during lockdown. Dogs who are considered the best companion of human beings have fallen prey to the vexation and the vicious mind of humans. Cases have been reported of people molesting, beating and torturing dogs.

On October 20, 2020, a nine-year-old female dog was molested. She was brutally injured by pushing a wooden stick in her genitals and left to die near Galleria mall at Hiranandani Gardens in Powai. Police and animal activists said that some men consider it a sport to torture, molest, amputate a body part and attack dogs with knifes or other blunt objects.

Another barbarous incident took place in Naik Nagar, Nagpur where a man pulled off the eyes of a dog using a sharp object and left it to die. This created an outrage among many animal activists.

On 27 May, 2021, an incident took place in Delhi where a thirty-two-year-old man named Gaurav Sharma, who goes by the name Gauravzone on YouTube uploaded a video of tying his pet dog with helium balloons and letting him “fly” drew immediate flak from his subscribers and animal activists. After the members of People for Animal (PFA) found out about the video, they raised an issue and lodged a complaint against Gaurav at the Malviya Nagar police station. A case with charges of animal cruelty were lodged against both Gaurav and his mother under Sections 188, 269 and 34 of the Animal Cruelty Act. The youtuber has 4.15 lakh subscribers. Youtubers and other influential personalities need to understand the impact and influence they have on their followers and putting out such content can encourage the new generation to abuse animals for their leisure without understanding its impact on the animal. They need to realize that with great power comes great responsibility.

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 punishes all kinds of crimes against animals but the fine ranges between just 10 to 100 rupees. Moreover crimes against animals are put on the back burner by the police. “This is proof that crimes against animals are not taken seriously,” said Dr. Radha Chaudhary, a veterinary.

It was also seen in many viral videos when people were threatening their neighbours and society members when they were offering food and water to the stray dogs. Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act makes all animal cruelties a criminal offence. Fines and imprisonment are both provided for. The Indian Penal Code has similar provisions. Under Section 506 of the IPC, its is a crime to threaten, abuse or harass neighbours who feed animals. IPC section 428 and 429 prescribe severe punishment of up to five years imprisonment to people resorting to dislocation, abduction and acts of cruelty towards community animals or pets and in such cases the police can arrest any offender without a warrant.

Since, people became short of financial resources many even abandoned their dogs. The most difficult thing for abandoned pet dogs is that they are accustomed to the affection of their owners and also they don’t have an instinct to find food as they are readily fed by their owners. This led to an increase in the number of abandoned dogs and this is what Kartick Satyanarayan, executive member at Friendicos had to say, “Earlier, we would get only about four or five pet dogs a month, but since the lockdown began, we have received 30 of them — ranging from puppies to old German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Great Danes, Labradors and local breeds — left at our facilities.”

Concerned authorities need to take stern actions against the lawbreakers. Police should take cases of animal abuse seriously and the people guilty should be held. We also need to report any such incident of animal abuse at the police station as our ignorance can cost an innocent animal its life. We should also try our level best to atleast feed the dogs in our locality and if not possible then we can donate to organizations and individuals that do so. Everyone is in a quandary but let’s come together and help each other in these difficult times.