Animal-lovers to protest dog culling at Karachi Press Club today
March 18, 2017
Celebrated author and humourist Mark Twain once said, “The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.” And, of course, who doesn't love these always-hyper, unconditionally-loving, tail-wagging creatures?
However, a recent upward spike in culling the stray dog population in Pakistan's urban cities has caused an uproar. While local civil authorities and municipalities are making an effort to help reduce the number of stray dogs, it is their method that is distressing for animal lovers.
The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) are allegedly killing canines around the cities by feeding them poisoned meat. This leads the animals to suffer horribly for more than 30 minutes on average, as they writhe in pain and finally succumb to death.
A few days ago, some videos had surfaced on the social media wherein TV actress Muzna Ebrahim narrated how three of the four pye-dogs she had adopted were put to death by the authorities. She sobbed as she witnessed her beloved pets breathed their last.
Probably acting as the trigger, the tragic incident led to a metaphorical reactionary explosion on the Internet, both positive and negative, as comments poured in requesting the government to take action on this issue.
Celebrities also joined the cause, using their fame and Internet presence in a bid to raise awareness and push for a solution. Here are some of the prominent ones.
#SohailJaved aka RAJU speaks candidly about humans treatment towards dogs ... It is appalling . We must learn from the example that other countries have set ... #SaveTheStrays #CBC #KMC #MasoodAlam #StopThisMurder #AnimalRights #ACF #Paws Nida Butt Alveena Sarwar Hema Sarika Zara Tareen Anoushey Ashraf Nadya Mistry Shams Mistry Ali Hayat Rizvi Tya Faizan Laghari
Posted by Muzna Ebrahim on Friday, March 17, 2017
Super talented singer #SarahHaider speaks out against the Inhumane methods the #CBC used to cull dogs .... Strays are living beings and have a right to live . #SaraHaider #CokeStudio #Dinger #AnimalRights #SaveTheStrays #KMC #KhurramZaman
Posted by Muzna Ebrahim on Friday, March 17, 2017
#SahirLodhi amongst some of the celebrities who are concerned about the methods used to cull the dog population #Shelters #Neuter #TNR #ACF #EdhiAnimalRescue #Sahir #RaastaTheFilm #NaveedRaza Come on Karachi we can do this . I will see you on the 18th March Saturday at the press club. Come be heard.
Posted by Muzna Ebrahim on Thursday, March 16, 2017
Let's stop this inhumane culling of Dogs !
Posted by Zhalay Sarhadi on Thursday, March 16, 2017
There is much better way to control stray dog population than killing them so ruthlessly! Spay and neuter. pic.twitter.com/5Cg9SuIenx
— Anoushey Ashraf (@Anoushey_a) March 16, 2017
Among the famous names, morning show star Sahir Lodhi said that a win-win option is available for humans and dogs if KMC and CBC work hand-in-hand with animal rights activists and vets. Sara Haider, Zhalay Sarhadi, Ramsha Khan - alongside her adorable black pug, Ainy Jaffri Rahman, Anam Tanveer, Mansha Pasha, Simi Hussain Raheel, and Nida Butt also condemned the act, and asked people to stand up.
Video director Sohail Javed, interestingly, highlighted another important concern - that neither does anyone know where or how safely these dogs' bodies are dumped nor are they aware of potential diseases that may spread consequently.
He added that "the two-legged 'dogs' are scarier than these four-legged ones," throwing a jibe at systematic corruption.
Nevertheless, for a country to prosper, it is necessary to provide care and safety to all living creatures alike, as Javed aptly mentioned Turkey as an example, where, recalling from his trip earlier, he saw collared dogs and small, makeshift shelters at the street corners for cats.
In this regard, a group of animal-lovers, including pet-related organisations and renowned vets, have come together to stage a protest at the Karachi Press Club today (March 18) at 12 noon to halt inhumane dog culling activities and work towards better and safer ways out.
