A wild shock

Somedays back when the new of a little baby being mauled to death by a leopard went viral, everyone was shocked, and deeply grieved. The image of a little girl becoming victim to a wild cat brought tears to many eyes. This tragic death is indicative of a bigger problem, and here we are all responsible. The government agencies have been found wanting in this matter. The civil society has been mindless about the expansion of residential areas into unsuitable areas. And there is also something that needs to be done about the laws regulating the actions in such matters. In an international atmosphere when certain laws are applied universally, without taking into account the differences that exist world over, such things are bound to happen. The laws and conventions about animal rights cannot be criticised just because they come from a civilisationally different part of the world, but there must have been some riders to account for the real differences that exist in other countries and cultures. Here in India, we have seen how many people die because of the dog bites and we cannot do anything about it. In fact, in the recent days we had many such cases in Kashmir, and as it happened in past, the concerned departments are not in a position to take any action against the street dogs. Now that we know there is a legal barrier, we should have upgraded the systems and brought the population of dogs down to nil over these years. But the situation in our streets, and on our roads, is exactly the opposite. It is only at the risk of one’s own life that someone can walk in the mornings, and during evenings, on the city roads. The pack of dogs roaming on the roads pose a threat to life and limb. How much has been talked about it, written about it, but finally things stay where they are. Unchanged. We are at the mercy of animals, and our kids are faced with a real threat everywhere around them. Just walking out of their home compounds is a risk for them.