Email
Print
ShareElephant Roopkali's tragic demise has brought into focus the animal abuse of across the city. Animal activists ask Mumbaikars to lend a hand.
Dr Deepa Katyal
When I see an elephant on the road being used to beg, the first thing I do is to check if there are any wounds on the body. If the elephant seems healthy, I have to let it go even though it is illegal. The reason is that even if I confiscate the animal there's no place to keep it. There is no place to rehabilitate these animals. Mumbai has only one animal hospital. Even monkeys and birds have to be sent all the way to Katraj in Pune, which is already overcrowded.
Confiscating animals is not an easy task. Their keepers are very aggressive and can beat you up. Often, we just take the animal, get in the car and run. The police somehow take the matter lightly. So, we have to take matters into our own hands. A group of people go and either confiscate the animal or threaten their keepers.
Sometimes, the keepers are a strong group and it becomes difficult to do anything on your own. This is the case below Ghatkopar Bridge where they keep monkeys. Elephant begging is seen a lot more during the Ganapati season. Thankfully, stringent checks during Nagpanchmi have reduced snake charmers.
People should be made more aware of animal rights. They should also know whom to contact when they see cruelty against animals. They should also only feed elephants and not give them money. Animal issues are only highlighted when an incident occurs, but soon it will be a forgotten story.
Even local corporators and the BMC don't animal rights seriously. All of us have been begging and fighting for land to build rehab homes but nothing has come out of it. Last year in October, they called a meeting and said that land will be allotted for rehab centres, but till date nothing has happened. I guess, dogs don't vote. A lot goes into animal maintenance. They too need post-operative care.
There is a lack of ambulances and temporary shelters. I feel that every area should have animal hospitals and shelters, just like there are hospitals for humans. Even animals are part of this planet and deserve some attention.
(Animal rights activist and Veterinary Practitioner. Call: 9819 74 2557)
