In the early 60's when we were students of lower classes, our Bangla textbook had a beautiful story about the faithfulness of a dog. On a steamer journey, a family's youngest member slipped into the river and was at risk of drowning. No man or woman was available to have the instant readiness and courage to jump out and save the kid. But the child's devoted furry friend was more than ready to make a statement of the bond that bounded them close together.
It jumped and holding his playmate's shirt tight in his mouth started swimming towards the vessel which by now paddled at a considerable distance. Passengers were clamouring for stopping the steamer and encouraging the dog to hold on. But it was not easy. As the dog tired, the chances of saving the boy's life grew slim. However, a boat was lowered on the water, which reached the dog and its young master to save them. Thus ended the story.
Then we came across an article titled Bhashaheener Batha (pain of the speechless) in our junior class. Wonderfully written by Motaher Hussain Chowdhury, it appealed to the formative minds so incisively that hardly a reader of it could ever be cruel to animals. Why are no such stories and articles included in textbooks for students to develop a sensitive mind?
Such questions are sure to trouble anyone who loves animals. In this capital city, stray dogs rummaging through dustbins cannot but make one's heart bleeding. In a country where floating people sleep in the open on footpaths or the extended shop-front and the rag pickers collect articles with bare hands from garbage receptacles, stray dogs are unlikely to appeal to people's kindness and be pitied let alone cared for.
During the unofficial lockdown time, the stray canines of the city, unlike their rivals the feline drawing human attention, faced the toughest challenge of their lives to survive. Fewer cats are stray and their access to residences cannot be limited. Many of the dogs, however, would not have survived had some kind hearted men and women not fed them regularly. Humanity was at its best when they did this service to the hungry dogs braving the threat from coronavirus. If only the majority, not even the entire city population, were equally friendly to the hapless creatures! In that case, the mayor of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) would not have to think of relocating the stray dogs, giving rise to a furore over the plan. Thank God, the protest against the move made the mayor retract from the plan.
Unlike the vagrants of the humankind, wandering dogs do not usually live alone unless they find caring soul---be that a beggar, a vagabond or a floating child who has no roof over his/her head and sleep at railway stations or any unlikely place convenient for him/her. Otherwise they live in a group and fiercely protect their particular areas. If a truant or a few of them from another large group by chance enter the territory, the entire pack rushes to drive away the encroachers. Sometimes the turf war is bitter and continues for days until they settle for a boundary acceptable for the rival parties.
It is at such a time they make excessive noise and become a nuisance. They may even attack a person if an attempt is made to disperse them. Also if their number goes up beyond control, they may be a source of rabies. So the DSCC mayor cannot be blamed for making Dhaka free of stray dogs. But how this can be done matters most.
Now to do so, there is a need for forming a clear idea about roaming dogs. The first category is stray dogs with an owner. It is allowed to roam freely but returns home. Then there are stray dogs without owners. The third category is community dogs taken care of by the community. Finally, the feral that are not cared for by anyone, but survive on their own.
To address the problem, the Dutch experiment may be of help. Remarkably, the Netherlands is the only country in the world that boasts no stray dogs. Among every five Dutch people, one has a pet dog. It is their love for dogs that has made this achievement possible. This is reflected in the statement made by Marianne Thiem, leader of the Party for the Animals, where she claims that there is a correlation between how society treats its animals with how it treats its civilians. She goes further, "there is a direct link between violence against animals and violence against humans.
Other things such as strategy and laws followed to complement their attachment to the most trusted animal company. The Dutch government followed a nationwide strategy called Collect Neuter Vaccinate and Return (CNVR) to control the stray dog population. Bangladesh can also adopt the same strategy to limit the population of stray dogs.
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