stray animals

This June, newspapers carried reports of an apartment resident in Mangaluru throwing newborn kittens out of her flat. Similarly, cat-adoption sites frequently report cases of kittens found in plastic bags in garbage heaps. Earlier, a common, but merciless, approach was to either ignore kittens or drop them in a faraway location. These incidents show people are largely unaware of how to handle stray cats and their litter. Success stories of win-win scenarios for both cats and humans are very rare. I was very impressed by an article in Citizen Matters last year, by Sumana Paul and Kalpita Mane, on how…

There is enough tragedy in the human lives lost due to accidents in India's roads. But there’s little guilt, and no penalties, when it comes to the many animals that suffer a similar fate. We believe that as non-humans, this is their fate, or that they deserve less. But whatever the individual attitude, it's necessary that human societies at large acknowledge such suffering endured by animals as important. So let's talk about how we can make this happen. Chutki. This beloved Cubbon Park puppy was killed in a hit-and-run at 4 pm on December 1. Not even 10 months old,…

In early 2019, news about Raj Bhavan’s cat problems had made headlines. The issues media highlighted at the time are prevalent even today - the mixed reactions amongst residents in many communities towards strays, and BBMP still finding their way around the stray cat problem. Even the high walls and security of gated communities are no barriers for agile stray cats as they make themselves comfortable in gardens, garages, basement parking and other common areas.  A circular from the Karnataka Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department this July 13, reiterates that apartments need to deal with the matter humanely and that…

COVID-19 has not only affected us humans, but also stray animals in several ways. For one, though the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that animals can't transmit COVID to humans, they are ill-treated and not allowed in residential areas. Another issue is that stray animals, especially dogs, are often dependent on leftover food from street vendors and fast food vendors. But with fewer people and shops, and more restrictions since COVID, strays have been left without enough food. In Bengaluru, many individuals such as Rakesh Shukla and Manjari Chaitanya Colaco have taken steps to provide food, shelter and care…

Pigeons feeding in the Ram-Anjenaya temple premises. Picture: Ashok Kumar S I saw a person on the premises of Ramanjaneya temple at Basavangudi, Bengaluru. He looked to me like a middle-aged person; he must have been in his 50s. He had come there to walk, like everybody else. He carried with him a bag of food. The bag contained wheat grains, bread, milk and water. I wondered why he had brought along all this food, and whom did he bring it for. I continued watching him, to know what he was up to, and find out what he was going to…