Caring for abandoned animals

While we deal with stray animals, mainly dogs and cats, horses appear to be a new addition to this list. Animal rights activists have recently rescued an ill and abandoned horse from Rangpur city's Modern Morh. After failing to find its owner, the rescuers suspected that the white horse might have been used for pulling carts. And the horse was later abandoned after it had fallen ill. The owner might have done that to avoid bearing the cost of treating the animal. A similar case of rescuing a stray horse took place near Hatirjheel in the capital in August 2019. The five-year-old horse was left there to count its last days with almost no access to food.
The instances of horse abandonment is growing day by day in Bangladesh. When horses become useless due to old-age, injuries, or illness, the owners desert them in fields on the outskirts of the cities. Before death, they forage in the green field as stray animals do or try to manage something to eat from roadside dustbins. Not all horses are lucky enough like the rescued one in Rangpur city. Most of the abandoned horses die for want of food and care while some of them are killed in road accident. Some old and unfit horses are even injected poison for their quick death.
The horse in mythology is linked to strength and freedom. But in reality, it is used only as a draft animal. Dozens of horses are engaged to pull carriages in the capital city alone. Of them, 50 are seen on the Gulistan-Sadarghat road. Most of them are uncared for. A number of horses are on the Cox's Bazar seabeaches to entertain tourists. Many of those, too, are malnourished. There are allegations that many owners do not provide sufficient food for these horses and set them free to roam around the town of Cox's Bazar to find their food. As a result, these horses become sick and weak by eating rotten and toxic foods from the dustbins. According to the Horses Owners Association, a total of 26 horses died between the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and mid-2021, thanks to their owners' neglect.
It is, however, encouraging that Bangladesh has recently enacted a new law titled Animal Welfare Act of 2019, replacing the century-old Cruelty to Animals Act of 1920. The new Act enlists a number of activities which fall under the category of cruelty to animals including overfeeding, underfeeding, long and unnecessary restrictions, failure to provide medical treatment, unpermitted use of animals for recreational purposes, using unfit animals for reproduction, etc. However, there are few cases of implementation of this law. It is time to execute this law to protect both pet and wild animals, create arrangements to care for animals and take action against those who are neglectful towards them. The government should provide some sort of a shelter for the animals that are abandoned by their owners. And animal abandonment should be declared illegal in the country. Just because Bangladesh is not a rich country cannot an excuse for the maltreatment of animals.

[email protected]