Meanwhile in Delhi

DOG LOVERS: Carnatic vocalist G Elangovan and Punjabi Sufi singer Rekha Raj perform at ‘Pashupati: Save the Dogs Concert’

Here, canine cause took centrestage

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: Dwipade chatushpade shantam (peace be on the two-legged and the four-legged). This Vedic chant might sound like an unusual way to begin a musical soiree but when the mission behind it is saving stray dogs, it’s more than fitting. From music to mythology, from prayer to protest,it was man’s best friend — the dog — that took centrestage at this concert for a cause held in the Capital on Tuesday evening. Fitting titled ‘Pashupati: Save the Dogs Concert’ as Pashupati literally means keeper of animals,both the musical evening and the exhibition that preceded it showed a dogged determination to create awareness about the need to protect this living element on Indian streets. While one poster featured a moving prayer for a street dog, another protested the killing of strays in Karnataka. Yet another established the unique place the dog holds in our mythology as one of Shiva’s vahan (as Bhairava) and Yudishthir’s loyal and finally lone companion ‘‘The Vedas mention the two-legged and the four-legged. It’s also the only animal that actively seeks human attention yet the attitude to strays is so inhumane,’’ said Navtej Johar, dancer, yoga exponent and animal. Johar, who is managing trustee of NGO Abhyas Trust that presented this event, also urged civic authorities to work out a system of garbage disposal first before resorting to mindless culling. Sunil Mehra of Abhyas feared a repeat of Bangalore in Delhi. ‘‘Strays may bear the brunt in the sanitisation of the city ahead of the Commonwealth. It’s every dog lover’s duty not to let that happen,’’ said Mehra. Not if Aahuti, a Class IV student from Sriram school, has her way. ‘‘I feed my neighbourhood dog every day and I don’t want anything to happen to him,’’ says this avid dog lover. Man’s best friend since ages Yudhishthir refused to enter the gates of heaven till the dog who had faithfully followed him on his journeys did so. Indra explained to him that according to karma, the dog would be reborn as human and after many life cycles gather enough virtue to enter heaven. ‘‘In that case,’’ Yudhishthir replied, ‘‘I will wait for him at these gates till he returns.’’

Plan to sterilise strays floated
Ruhi Bhasin TNN
New Delhi: To step up sterilisation of street dogs before Commonwealth Games 2010, the MCD is looking into the possibility of using the Catch/ Neuter/ Vaccinate/ Release (CNVR) technique, which was successful in sterilising 45,000 dogs in Ahmedabad in 2006. While the agency has put forward the proposal to the nine NGOs that are working with it in implementing the animal birth control (ABC) programme, they have expressed apprehensions about releasing the dogs on the day of the operation, as is done under the CNVR system. Rahul Sehgal, founder of the Animal Help Foundation — the NGO that joined forces with Humane Society International and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in January 2006 to implement CNVR in Ahmedabad — said: ‘‘The CNVR is a method of ABC that promotes mass sterilisation in the safest and most humane manner for all dogs on the streets. CNVR programmes set up the neutering clinics in a tent where proper equipment is used to perform modern aseptic neutering of dogs. They are released in the area from where they were picked up on the same day.’’ When Sehgal was questioned about the risks involved in releasing the dogs the same day, he said: ‘‘ By the time most dogs are set to be released, they are trying to free themselves from the recovery enclosure. We will never put the dogs back on the street if they have not fully recovered.’’ He added: ‘‘The dogs are at a greater risk of contracting diseases and developing infections in kennels as often a healthy dog that has been neutered and put into a kennel will wind up being sick because the previous street dog that was in the kennel may have shed its virus or bacteria. Also, street dogs are not used to being confined in a jail environment and the raised level of stress of the dog trying to get out of the cage causes other problems post surgery.’’ Meanwhile, over 60,000 dogs were sterilised in the city from 2002 to 2006. While the NGOs working on this say that the numbers could be greater if the right infrastructure is provided, they are not willing to release the dogs same day. The MCD has asked the NGOs to give in their proposals on the CNVR in a fortnight. Said an MCD official: ‘‘A presentation was made regarding this programme a while back by Rahul Sehgal. We have asked the NGOs to look into it but they are apprehensive about releasing dogs the same day. We want to tackle this problem before Commonwealth Games and will begin work in east Delhi if a pilot project on these lines is agreed to. We have been approached by other NGOs also who are interested in helping us out.’’ Geeta Seshmani, vice-president of Friendicoes — which is one of the NGOs working with MCD — however said: ‘‘All the NGOs concerned are not at all comfortable with releasing the dog on the same day. Normally, we release them after three days but we are willing to release them in two days. Since the surgery is invasive, the dog has to be under observation to ensure that everything is alright. The number of sterilisations done by us can be increased if the infrastructure is provided to us. We are committed to achieving a greater target.’’ The only NGO working in East Delhi, Samrakashan Trust, said that they didn’t even have a vehicle of their own. Said Sujata Deane from the NGO: ‘‘We have to depend on MCD staff to catch the dogs. The number is very dismal and we get five dogs per day.’’ Said an MCD official: ‘‘The NGOs are able to perform around 400 operations in a month at present. Under CNVR they will be able to perform 4,500 every month. The cost of this will be much more so we have asked them to look into the escalated costs and the additional work load.’’