Veterinary Officer Dr. Shriram Pawar of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation said that healthy & vaccinated local community animals should not be evicted or relocated from their native place even if they are inside a housing society.
Dr. Pawar insisted while speaking with TOI that, “The barking of a dog, at any time of the day or night, is not a valid reason to evict the animal from the society. If a resident community animal is healthy and, better still, vaccinated, they should remain in their native place. Shifting such animals is illegal and cruel as animals from other areas may attack them after relocation.”
A few days ago, Anarjit Chauhan, a city worker in Nerul, had to make a run at night to stop an animal-catching van from evicting two dogs, as some members of the society had complained that they “bark at night.” Anarjit said, “We welcome the latest claims by the civil vet officer of not relocating healthy dogs and cats. Since I live in Nerul Sector 19, I had to intervene and stop the illegal eviction of two healthy and neutered dogs at night. The reason I was given by Civic Dog Catchers was that they had received a complaint from another resident that these dogs bark at night. It’s ridiculous to drive dogs away simply because they bark. Dogs assist our night guards in guarding the area, as they alert the guards about any unknown person entering the area.”
The recent AWBI guidelines for feeding animals clearly state that societies should allow feeders to feed local community animals at particular places on the premises, as they have a right to show compassion towards animals.
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