The Supreme Court heard arguments on stray dog-related cases for two and a half hours on Thursday, the second consecutive day of hearings. The court discussed the behavior of dogs. Justice Nath said that dogs recognize human fear and therefore bite. A lawyer (representing those in favor of the dogs) disagreed. The Justice then said, "Don't shake your head; I'm speaking from personal experience."
Meanwhile, the petitioner's lawyer said that the data provided by the states did not specify how many shelters are run by the municipalities. There are only 5 government shelters in the country, each with a capacity of 100 dogs. We need infrastructure.
Earlier in the hearing, Advocate C.U. Singh, arguing on behalf of animal welfare organizations, objected to removing the dogs or sending them to shelters. He said that removing the dogs would lead to an increase in the rat population. The court jokingly responded, "So, should we bring in cats?"
This case has been heard six times in the last seven months. Last November, the Supreme Court ordered the removal of stray dogs from schools, hospitals, bus stands, sports complexes, and railway stations. The court also said that these animals should be transferred to designated shelters.
6 key points from the hearing...
A lawyer for the petitioner said that every pet dog has an owner, while stray dogs have no owner, nor is it the responsibility of the state. However, the state's job is to provide vaccinations, etc. The ABC (Animal Birth Control) rules should be such that the path to my house is safe.
The lawyer (in favor of removing the dogs) said that the court's order should not be limited to institutions only, but should also be applied to residential areas. It is not possible to counsel a dog, but the dog's caretaker or owner can be counseled.
Every dog lover and NGO has to deposit a fixed amount to file a petition. This condition should be removed. The court responded lightheartedly, "If we hadn't imposed this condition, we would have had to set up a tent here."
For monitoring the dogs, their counting is necessary, which was last done in 2009. There were 560,000 dogs in Delhi alone. The number of animals to be caught should be determined according to the housing capacity of the centers. If there is no capacity, where will you keep them?
A lawyer (in favor of not removing the dogs) said, "There is also a threat from rats and monkeys in Delhi. If the dogs are suddenly removed, the rat population will increase. They spread diseases. Dogs maintain the balance."
To this, Justice Mehta said, "What kind of relationship is this? Dogs and cats are enemies of each other. So we should encourage more cats. We have not given instructions to remove every dog from the street. They should be treated according to the rules."
Pet dog attacks trainer and cook at Madhya Pradesh CM's house
In Bhopal, a pet dog suddenly attacked a cook at the Chief Minister's residence on Thursday. Cook Kripashankar Mishra and dog trainer Ranjit were injured in the incident.
The incident occurred when dog trainer Ranjit was handling the dog. The injured were immediately taken to JP Hospital.
Kripashankar Mishra sustained three deep wounds on his hands and legs. The sudden attack caused some commotion in the CM House premises for a while.
Supreme Court to discuss article published in Times of India on Friday
After the end of the second day's hearing, Justice Mehta said that all the lawyers should read the article published in the Times of India on December 29th before Friday's hearing. There will be a debate on it. The title of the article is "On the roof of the world, feral dogs hunt down Ladakh's rare species".
According to the article, the increasing number of stray/feral dogs in Ladakh has become a major problem. These dogs are hunting in the world's highest and most sensitive ecosystem, which is called the 'Roof of the World'. Dogs hunt in packs, which allows them to take down even large and fast animals.
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