Nagpur : High action duel between the Dog Lovers and the High Court (Bombay Bench) came to a halt when the Supreme court put a stay on the High Courts order which coerced people, who sought to feed stray dogs, to adopt them, vaccinate them and feed them at their homes rather than on streets.
Dog Love Wins
Keeping nuisance and dog aggression as basis of their decision, the High court came to a conclusion that feeding stray dogs made them more aggressive and feeding them in public only created nuisance. Many dog lovers found this decision biased and approached the apex court for help.
The Supreme court did not disappoint the dog lovers, questioning if the High Court directions are practical. Justice Sanjiv Khanna and JK Maheshwari said that people cannot be forced to adopt street dogs. The bench also asked the Animal Welfare Board of India for their opinion on the High Court. They replied by exclaiming that not feeding the dogs will make them aggressive due to hunger. The decision came as a sigh of relief for animal lovers who were under stress due to the restrictive High Court Orders.
While all is hunky dory for animal lovers, it should also be considered that while feeding a stray is a good deed, it should be done by keeping in mind cleanliness and safety of fellow citizens. Relocation, neutering, adoptions and vaccination of stray dogs is also very important to keep their population in check and prevent diseases such as rabies. Drives for these are regularly run by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation and NGO’s such as Rise for tails. Together, with the citizens, these drives can be game changing in controlling dog population so that man and man’s best friend can live in unison.
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