Civic agencies get flak
Civic agencies get flak
AMIT S UPADHYE
BENGALURU
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While the fire fighters were engaged in dousing the fire at Jayanagar shopping complex on Friday midnight, about 2,000 fish and nearly 50 caged love birds were charred to death.
The shop no 121 and 122 which had birds and fish stored in cages and aquariums bore the brunt of the fire. Though the mishap occurred accidentally, many animal activists are pointing fingers at civic agencies for not bringing in regulations in the pet trade in the city.
There are instances where the non-government organisations working for the welfare of urban wildlife have requested the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike to set up guidelines for pet trade. While the areas like Shivajinagar and Jayanagar serve as the traditional markets for the pets and fish, off late many pet shops have come up.
Unfortunately, majority of the shops have no clue about the laws which need to be followed. “It’s mandatory that the per traders should follow the Cruelty to Animal Act, 1960. The Section 11 of the Act clear mentions the conditions in which pet animals and birds can be kept. “But sadly, animal welfare is not being observed in pet shops of Bengaluru,’’ said Ms Brinda Nandakumar, advocate, animal rights.
So what if there is a law.
A violation of the act for the first time attracts a small penalty, though there is no imprisonment. However, if there is a second time offence then the accused will be jailed for 30 days.
posted by The Bangalorean @ 6/15/2008 08:52:00 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
i strongly agree to the points mentioned above in the article. I am no animal activist but an enthusiast at keeping pet fish. While many of us might just forget the incident with a mere sigh what we utterly fail to feel is the pain and slow death which the animals went through before being done to death.
How many of can imagine ourself in the bird cage getting to see the burning fire approach, cry and flap about fanatically in the small cage trying desperately to escape only to tire and roast ?
how many of us can feel the pain which the fish might have experienced in the boiling water ? one drop of hot water on our body and we shreik what could have those mute animals gone through in their futile attempt to survive ?
the difference is only that we can shout and scream and those mute animals cannot. its a very sad thing to have happened.
If only people could realise that even fish and birds are living things and that they also need oxygen, food and water to survive , that they also have a god given life which we are exploiting for our selfish desires.
hope some kind hearted soul takes note of this and does something constructive to avert such tragedies in future. (I do not know why we have to actually wait for a tragedy before we take precautions !)
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