By : Muhammad Ali
Keeping all the crises aside, one of the best things to have happened lately on our planet is that human beings have finally started to realize that their species is but a part of the entire ecosystem, and not the whole of it.
This has inclined humans to reconsider their attitudes towards plants and animals, not only in Arts, Literature or Environmental Studies but also in practical life.
It is by keeping the same approach under consideration that resistance has been shown against the killing of dogs that started taking place a few months ago by a dog shooting wing in Punjab.
The wing became active after receiving numerous complaints of an increasing number of stray dogs in the streets.
However, to the happiness of animal activists and pet lovers, the decision of killing stray dogs has been taken back and a Turkish inspired model has been implemented instead. Known as TNVR and standing for “Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Release”, the model takes care to capture stray dogs, neuter them to stop their reproduction, get them vaccinated and release them back as harmless creatures.
The decision to implement this model all over Punjab was taken in a meeting presided over by the Chief Secretary of Punjab along-with the Secretary Local Government, Noor ul Ameen Mangle, Honorary Secretary SPCA, Professor Dr. Masood Rabbani, Secretary Health, Sarah Aslam, Additional Secretary Livestock, Dr. Iqbal Shahid, Secretary Law and some other officials. All of these officials decided that the culling of dogs will no longer take place in Punjab.
For a proper execution of the alternative model that is TNVR, the first phase would involve the task of vaccinating all dogs and tagging them. This will help the departments know the number of animals existing in the province. The second phase will then neuter the male dogs and the third phase will spay the female ones.
Animal rights activists and rescuers are overjoyed at this decision made by the PTI government, as they believe that it is not only inhumane to kill animals, but also a sin.
It would be a worthy mention to talk about one such PTI MPA Ayesha Iqbal, who gave tireless support and backing to the whole movement of saving the stray dogs of Pakistan.
She had provided every opportunity and convience to organisation s working for animal welfare and gave them accessibility to her 24/7.
It’s these combined political and official efforts that brought to light this amazing change of events.
The entire Muslim community knows the famous story of the prostitute who was forgiven for her sins just for treating a cat with love and respect.
Sarah Gandapur, a renowned and passionate animal rights activist tells that it was for more than two years that animal lovers were trying to get this petition signed under the supervision of Hamza Butt and Hamza Khan from Hamza & Hamza Law Associates, both of whom plucked up the courage to file the petition against dog culling. It is now that they have succeeded in getting it signed, although a large number of animals were still killed while the case was under scrutiny.
Thanks to their efforts that the brutal killings, involving poisoning and shooting, will now cease. Gandapur, who also runs an animal welfare platform by the name of Sayaa, pays heartfelt thanks along-with all animal rights NGOs to Lahore High Court Justice, Ayesha Malik and Justice Jawad Hassan for their revolutionary judgement.
A summary of 148 million rupees for the execution of this model has been forwarded to the government, and it is hoped that a two years’ time span will be enough for the implementation of the entire plan, for which all civil veterinary hospitals situated in every district will come to action.
It is hoped that the treatment of animals with love and care will turn out to be one of the steps towards turning Pakistan into Ryasat e Madina.
Stay tuned as we keep reporting the updates in days to follow.