Summers are here. Animals and Birds face as much difficulties with soaring temperatures as we do. Place a water bowl for birds and animals near your home/office places. Remember, however to clean the bowl and place fresh water in there daily.
You are more likely to spot Large birds like Kites in dehydrated condition having fallen flat on the ground in this weather.
Share this awareness poster made by the good folks at Jivdaya Charitable Trust Ahmedabad that educates us on what we need to do if we spot a dehydrated bird.
Below is the copy of the Legal Notice sent by a Delhi based Animal Welfare Activist Rishi Dev to the Concerned Office Bearers in the SDMC i.e. South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
It is to be noted that SDMC had advertised with a lot of media coverage their ‘intent’ to levy a fine of Rs.500 and ‘haul up’ every pet owner any time that they err and do not pick up the poop off their pet dog.
While we at JAAGRUTI strongly endorse ‘responsible pet ownership’ and do encourage pet owners to pick the poop up after their dog has done it and help keep the surroundings clean and do it ourselves as well, what these SDMC these office bearers should understand that in a country in-famous for open defecation, is that such a one-sided dictat has to be thought through before being ‘imposed’ lest it gets misused by the Municipality staff and RWA (Resident Welfare Association) office bearers to ‘harass’ pet owners and many street dog caretakers. In any case, with pet abandonment on a rise in big cities, such ill-thought out words coming out someone in as responsible a public position like a Mayor of the Corporation, will only instigate more people to abandon their pets.
Instead through awareness messages, SDMC should encourage environment-friendly messages on the relevance of picking up a pet dog’s poop, not using polythene bags, planting trees, relevance of Street Dog Animal Birth Control and Anti-Rabies Vaccination drives etc. What we as a Country and as Indians need is some sensitivity and compassion and Empathy drilled into our minds to encourage responsible citizenship rather than ill-thought of dictats that only offend some and appease some.
In Rishi’s own words, “The following legal notice was sent to the concerned officials. Also the MANY MANY letters that animal lovers wrote to SDMC Mayor had their effect. As of now SDMC cannot implement this law, in the absence of a proper legal procedure. Plus they have not replied to our legal notice and have not defended their stand. Thanks to all the genuine animal lovers who participated in this campaign. If SDMC still goes ahead with this without a legal procedure, then contempt proceedings will be initiated. If anyone comes to know that they are discreetly going ahead then kindly inform us.”
TAKE ACTION: South Delhi people can still keep writing letters to the SDMC Mayor whose address is in the Notice-remember to send your letters registered Via India Post. Keep the Receipt of the Post safe with you.
It is a very self-explanatory notice that touches upon a lot of issues and thus it is important every street dog caretaker as well as Pet owner reads it.
Years that we spend in school are amongst those times when our minds are most ‘impressionable’ i.e. receptive to new facts, new learnings every day. These are also the times when we are much more innocent at heart and can be sensitized into becoming a truly compassionate and kind-hearted individual who thinks beyond himself/herself.
In the Year 2014, CBSE i.e. Central Board of Secondary Education (India) had sent an advisory to all its 18,000 affiliated schools across India strongly urging them to implement a policy that bans students and staff members from wearing leather shoes in favour of animal- and Earth-friendly canvas shoes. CBSE proposed this as an “ethical” and “compassionate” way to protect the environment and animals from harm.
For not many kids and adults, or even self-proclaimed ‘vegetarians or vegans’ alike, understand, even in today’s time that leather is nothing but skin of a terrified animal, that was cruelly, painfully inhumanely slaughtered in front of their kin (often dismembered/de-skinned when it is still conscious and breathing) , and they are subjected to this brutality for their meat that you eat and/or the shoes or belts that you are wearing or the bag or wallet you are carrying or showing off!
“[B]uying leather directly contributes to encouraging the growth of factory farms and slaughterhouses …“, says the CBSE advisory. “Leather … shares responsibility for all the environmental destruction caused by the meat industry as well as the pollution cause by the toxins in tanning.”
Alternative to Leather Shoes in case you are wondering: CANVAS SHOES
The link to the Advisory on CBSE website can be accessed by clicking here, and the screenshots of the Advisory can be read by clicking on Images below (it’s a 2 page circular)
We understand as per information available on the Web that the Indian States of “Himachal Pradesh and Punjab have already moved to ban leather shoes in schools and in Goa, most schools already use canvas shoes”.
Take Action: If your school is amongst one of them that still forces you to wear Leather Shoes, then we request you to take a print out of this advisory and discuss this with the Head of your Schools, for Sir Paul McCartney once rightly said, “”If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian”. Watch the Movie by clicking here.
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P.S: If you have an inspiring story or anecdote of yours to share with others to spread the wave of kindness around and more sensitivity and understanding on the need to voluntarily oppose the use of Leather goods, then please type it down in the comments section below.
Let’s spread ‘JAAGRUTI’. Let us all Inform.Share.Inspire
*Guest Post by Ms.Madhu Goyal
Recently there have been several complaints about unethical practices at some dog boardings, of dogs being confined in unaoccupied broken-down buildings, dogs chained to gates and driveways in the hot sun without water and in their own excreta, dogs kept on rooftops with no shade from the summer sun, dogs being returned to pet parents covered in ticks and suffering from high/tick fever and other ailments, of pet parents being billed double the boarding rate agreed on, pets being held hostage, etc. This is not to say there aren’t any good boardings. Of course there are, run by genuine dog lovers. It is your job as a responsible pet parent to figure out which one is right for your dog, if for some unavoidable reason you are forced to use the services of one.
Here are some general guidelines to help you sort the good from the bad. The key is to use your common sense.
First, do some research, don’t go solely on recomendations, and question, question, question! If someone you know has had a good experience at a particular boarding, put that place at the top of your shortlist, but check it out personally anyway before you send your dog there.
Visit the boarding, preferably unannounced, don’t be fooled by the boarding’s self-promotion or the photos you’ve seen – photos can be doctored. If the boarding owner/owners object to the visit, you can be sure they have something to hide. Avoid that boarding.
Does the place smell bad? If it does, go home.
Is it scrupulously clean? If not, go home!
Are there other dog boarders that you can see? If not, then obviously it’s not a good place for your dog. If yes, check their condition. Are they clean, tick free, healthy? Do they look happy? Are the dogs chained? If yes, your dog will be chained too.
Are the dogs protected well from the elements/heat/cold? If not, Leave!
Other than the boarding owners, is there adequate, caring, clean, 24X7 support staff? If there is no other staff, it’s not a good sign.
Ask who will walk, exercise your dog, how many times and where. Check to see if the play/walk area is secure, clean and wholesome.
Do the dogs look scared in the presence of the boarding owners/staff? If they do, they are probably beaten into submission.
Is the place secure, with high boundary walls and gates that a dog cannot jump over?
Is there fresh, clean and plentiful drinking water available to the dogs? Some boardings give their wards very little water because dogs pee after they drink, and the boarding owners don’t want the bother of cleaning up the pee.
Inspect the living space. Is it clean, airy, well ventilated, cool in summer, warm in winter? Is there enough bedding? Is it clean and does it smell fresh?
Question the boarding owners about what, how often and how much their boarders are fed. If possible, inspect the refrigerators for cleanliness and freshness of the food. If there are no refrigerators, the dogs are most likely fed stale food.
Inspect food and water bowls for cleanliness.
Go through the contract, preferably with a lawyer. If it is one-sided and protects only the rights of the boarding owners and does not say anything about the rights of the pet and pet parents, don’t sign.
Make sure you have the boarding rates in writing so that there are no surprises later.
Ask which veterinary clinic is used if, God forbid, a dog falls ill while in the care of the boarding. It is your right to demand vet/path lab bills/receipts for all treatment given to the pet, and daily updates on his/her condition. Also, be sure to keep in constant touch with the vet regarding your dog’s condition and course of treatment.
If you are out of town, ask a friend or family member to occasionally visit your pet at the boarding to make sure all is well. If the boarding objects to this, strike it off your list.
A little forethought will save your dog a lot of pain and distress, and you a thousand regrets.
We are quoting below verbatim from the Facebook post put by, Advocate Ms.Anjali Sharma, so that those who feed street dogs in Delhi and elsewhere can use this information BELOW to counter the misinformation that has spread following recent news reports in Delhi on this subject.
So, please read below, relax and download the Complete order issued by the Delhi High Court below and gear up to counter all the unruly “RWA” members or neighbours who have been fed some fodder by our misreporting Media outlets in the City.
After you have finished reading what we have quoted below, please also read the below links once again.
*2010 Order by Delhi High Court on feeding street dogs
*Indian Street Dogs and their Rights
SO HAS THE DELHI HIGH COURT BANNED STREET DOG FEEDING THROUGH A RECENT ORDER?
OF COURSE NOT. Please read the ACTUAL ORDER which I’m sharing below, & not the trash that some Hindi tabloids have published. The order passed is case specific – involving a case where 2 parties are residing in a common property. One resident objected to the other resident feeding street dogs. He wanted the dogs removed from the area, & wanted their feeding banned. THE COURT HAS NOT DONE THAT. The Court simply said – don’t chain street dogs in the common drive-way of the property in which both parties are residing, don’t feed them there, don’t cause nuisance for the other resident. THATS ALL. This order is in line with the earlier orders passed by the Delhi High Court in 2009 – 2010. Even in those cases, in which I had appeared for the Animal Welfare Board of India, the High Court had emphasised that feeding must be done carefully & in a responsible manner.
– Above text is as quoted by Ms.Anjali Sharma ADVOCATE in her Facebook post on 31st July 2017.
We are quoting below in Hindi, the words of Saurav Gupta, an Animal Welfare activist on this subject so as to calm down the nerves of all of you who communicate in Hindi.
दोस्तों एक भ्रांति और डर आज कुछ पशुप्रेमियों में है जो कुछ कुत्तों को खाना डालते हैं दोस्तों मैं उन्हें आश्वस्त करना चाहता हूँ की ये उच्च न्यायालय का आदेश केवल एक केस में आया है, दो पार्टियों के झगड़े में एक civil-Suit की सुनवाई के दौरान विशेष तौर पर इस एक केस में ये आदेश पारित किया गया है, ये कोई P.I.L या Writ Petition नहीं है जो पूरे दिल्ली में लागू हो ये बस एक केस में एक पार्टी के ख़िलाफ़ आदेश है. कुछ हिंदी अख़बार वाले इस केस में बिना Court Order पढ़े ख़बर लिख रहे हैं और कुत्तों को खाना डालने वाले हमारे पशुप्रेमी उन ख़बरों को पढ़ कर बिना बात के डर रहे हैं.
दोस्तों मैं सप्रीम कोर्ट के एक वरिष्ठ अधिवक्ता के साथ हूँ जिनसे मैंने इस ऑर्डर को डिस्कस कर रहा हूँ उनका कहना है कि हमें इस केस में सप्रीम कोर्ट जाने की या परेशान होने की बिलकुल जर्रूरत नहीं है कोर्ट ने कहा है कि driveway में किसी कुत्ते को ना बांधा जाए और स्ट्रीट डॉग को फ़ीड करते समय पब्लिक की सावधानी व साफ़ सफ़ाई का ध्यान रखा जाए,जिसके लिए मालवीय नगर के S.h.o ko भी उचित कार्यवाही के लिए निर्देशित किया गया है।
कोर्ट ने इस ऑर्डर में कहीं नहीं लिखा की स्ट्रीट dogs को खाना ना डाला जाए, कोर्ट ने 2009 से 2011 तक चले उस हाईकोर्ट के केस के आदेशों को ही जारी रखा है जिसमें हाई कोर्ट ने साफ़ तौर पर दिल्ली पुलिस को निर्देशित किया था की स्ट्रीटdogs को फ़ीडिंग करने वालेपशुप्रेमियो की सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित की जाए तथा एम॰सी॰डी॰(MCD) को निर्देशित किया था कि स्ट्रीट dogs के फ़ीडिंग point तथा फ़ीडिंग का समय निर्धारित किया जाय। उसी आदेशों को इस आदेश में जारी रखा गया है।। बस इतनी सी बात को बढ़ा चढ़ा कर अख़बारों में छापा जा रहा है।
दोस्तों ये ऑर्डर दिल्ली में किसी भी अन्य केस में मान्य नहीं होगा, इसलिए आप किसी भी पशुप्रेमी को परेशान होने की ज़रूरत नहीं है। जब तक हम लोग बैठे हैं तब तक आपको इस तरह के आदेशों में चिंता करने की बिलकुल ज़रूरत नहीं है.
The High Court of Himachal Pradesh has come down heavily on a newspaper, for indulging in repeated misquoting and misreporting of the orders.
As explained by Ms. Anjali Sharma, Advocate on her Facebook Page, “This is a very significant order passed by a Division Bench of the H.P. High Court at Shimla – holding that inaccurate (mis)reports of Court orders with a bid to ‘sensationalize’, are tantamount to criminal contempt of court. Contempt notice issued to the reporter, though actually, the editor should be charged with contempt too. .
This order is Significant, because of the slew of mis-reporting around the 18th November order passed in the stray dogs cases by the Supreme Court.
It would be a good idea for anybody witnessing misreporting in cases involving animals to immediately write to the reporter & the editor of the newspaper, & cite this judgment. Because of course, contempt of court will pack a stronger punch than even a complaint under the Press Council Act, which unfortunately provides for fairly tepid consequences.”
The Interim order of the Supreme Court of India passed on the 18th Nov 2015 while hearing ‘all street dog related matters’ emphatically directs that the laws made viz. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 have to be implemented and that there shall not be any indiscriminate killing of dogs. The Supreme Court Order observed that “There can be no trace of doubt that there has to be compassion for dogs and that they should not be killed in an indiscriminate manner…”
The key points in this Interim Order issued by the Honourable Supreme Court of India on 18th November 2015 are as follows:
The Order states- “There can be no trace of doubt that there has to be compassion for dogs and they should not be killed in an indiscriminate manner, but indubitably the lives of the human beings are to be saved and one should not suffer due to dog bite because of administrative lapse.”
It further reiterates that, “Rule 6 of the Animal Birth Control Rules 2001 enacted under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, provides for obligations of the local authority. Rule 7 deals with capturing/sterilisation/ immunisation/release. Rule 8 deals with identification and recording and Rule 9 provides for euthanasia of street dogs. Rule 10 deals with furious or dumb rabid dogs.” and goes on to add that, ” As we find, the local authorities have a sacrosanct duty to provide sufficient number of dog pounds, including animal kennels/shelters, which may be managed by the animal welfare organizations, that apart, it is also incumbent upon the local authorities to provide requisite number of dog vans with ramps for the capture and transportation of street dogs; one driver and two trained dog catchers for each dog van; an ambulance-cum-clinical van as mobile centre for sterlisation and immunisation; incinerators for disposal of carcasses and periodic repair of shelter or pound. Rule 7 has its own significance. The procedure has to be followed before any steps are taken. Rules 9 and 10 take care of the dogs which are desirable to be euthanised.”
To explain to our readers Rule 9 – it means that only mortally wounded or terminally ill dogs i.e.when and only when a dog is unfit for survival/has no chance of recovery/healing which is medically proven by a Government certified Veterinary Doctor and it’s survival causes more pain for it is when u can think of euthanising.
….and then the order hammers home the point, that for now that the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2001, (for short, ‘the 2001 Rules’) shall prevail over the provisions contained in any local Act/Municipality Act by stating that, “for the present it is suffice to say that all the State municipal corporations, municipal committees, district boards and local bodies shall be guided by the Act and the Rules and it is the duty and obligation of the Animal Welfare Board to see that they are followed with all seriousness. It is also the duty of all the municipal corporations to provide infrastructure as mandated in the statute and the rules. Once that is done, we are disposed to think for the present that a balance between compassion to dogs and the lives of human being, which is appositely called a glorious gift of nature, may harmoniously co-exist.”.
And towards the end of this Interim Order passed by the Honourable Supreme Court of India, instructions are laid out for the Local bodies to follow, “The local authorities shall file affidavits including what kind of infrastructures they have provided, as required under the law. Needless to emphasize, no innovative method or subterfuge should be adopted not to carry out the responsibility under the 1960 Act or the 2001 Rules. Any kind of laxity while carrying out statutory obligations, is not countenanced in law.”
“A copy of the order passed today be sent to the Chief Secretary of each of the States and the competent authority of Union Territories, so that they can follow the same in letter and spirit. We would also request all the High Courts not to pass any order relating to the 1960 Act and the 2001 Rules pertaining to dogs. Needless to say, all concerned as mentioned herein-above, shall carry out this order and file their respective affidavits as directed“…are the concluding lines of this order as the matter gets listed for Final Hearing and Disposal on 9th March 2016.
The Press Release issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India on the above stated order, is shared below.
Most of the times, RWAs (Resident Welfare Associations) are antagonistic towards the existence of street dogs but, this time around, we at JAAGRUTI were in for a pleasant surprise as we were requested over for a vaccination drive for young street dogs and pups in this West Punjabi Bagh area based colony in Delhi. What makes it all the more unique was that this Vaccination Drive was sponsored by the RWA as well. In all, 9 pups were vaccinated with a 9-in-one vaccine and dewormed, 2 (namely Dholu and Molu) were given Anti-Rabies Vaccine, this was done with active participation of their caretakers, Mrs. Babita, Mrs. Kavita and Mrs. Meenakshi. From amongst the same, one puppy was also treated for a maggot infested wound, which Ms. Babita, their caretaker was already treating following the steps outlined on our Article to treat Maggot wounds, we helped clean the pus on the wound and injected antibiotics to hasten her recovery.
Those who wish to avail of JAAGRUTI’s On-site First Aid Service for Street Dogs / Animals are requested to read the link https://jaagruti.org/first-aid-and-vaccination-service-for-street-dogs-animals/ and write to us on firstaid@jaagruti.org. Support of local caretakers is essential to restrain and treat the animal during the entire course of On-site Treatment.
Contributions towards our medicine and transport costs are essential to support to keep up our efforts to sweat it out and treat animals on the street day in day out. Do consider supporting us by clicking on www.jaagruti.org/contribute-to-jaagruti. If you would like to contribute medicines in kind, please connect with us on contact@jaagruti.org or message us on Facebook and we will get back to you with our requirements. Thank you.