Learning care to bring change

A few days back, on his way home, Asim Ahmed suddenly ran into a dog. It was chained but Asim bought him a packet of biscuits. “I’m not saying I don’t like street dogs or they are disgusting. However, I’m a little concerned about getting bitten and infected,” said the 30-year old businessman. From the way he narrated his story, one could easily tell he is empathetic towards dogs, however, at the same time, somewhat reluctant to pat them or get too close to them out of fear—something very common amongst most people in our country. While being out and about in Dhaka and encountering street dogs and cats is a usual phenomena for the city dwellers. The growing numbers of street animals and the scarcity of a living space for them are often the prime reasons for that. A lot of young children from the underprivileged community may keep them as pets, but many are yet to learn how to keep and treat them properly. Another concerning issue is that veterinary diagnosis and treatment is not advanced in our country, and very little is known about their medical issues.

Salvation in knowing

Whether it is a random street in Hazaribagh, near Dhanmondi Lake, Dhaka University Campus or any other place, one can easily spot these children playing and spending quality time with these animals. Shuchi Sarker, a mother of two, always tries to keep away her children from street animals. It is difficult since the family lives in a tin-shed house in a slum beside a road. She works as a housemaid and when she is away during the day, her sons Akib and Rajib would normally go out on the streets to play with a dog. “Who can assure me that it won’t bite them?” she wonders. Very little is actually known about the health hazards of street animals and everything is mostly based on conventional preconceptions. Apart from children, we also often find people of all ages patting and stroking street animals, and sometimes even playing or sharing food with them. But alternative scenarios like beating or tying them up, separating puppies or kittens from parents are also common, which often lead them to show aggression or sometimes even attack people. Street dogs and cats don’t attack humans if they don’t face obstacles from humans. A note from an animal lover to Dhaka Tribune says, “Children love playing with street dogs. But on the other hand, we often see or hear stories about certain people or groups of people, who for no apparent reason would deliberately beat up or torture street animals just to amuse themselves. We need to change such mindset.” Similar words were echoed by Tamzid Karim from Animal Rights Koalition Bangladesh (ARK). He said, “To prove their superiority over and over again, humans often forget that animals have emotions and values, they also get hurt.”

A coalition to bridge the gap

Animal Rights Koalition Bangladesh (ARK), working to promote human and animal togetherness and harmony, thinks that only education on such matter will help reduce violation towards animals, which ultimately would decrease the level of aggression and torture on these poor beings. Members of ARK are all volunteers, who believe in changing the mindset of people as a whole and what better way to do so than with baby steps that start with street children. The group has arranged for an educational and awareness workshop titled “Compassion towards animals” at Noyanagar Shishu Kalyan Primary School, Turag, to take place on October 14. Led by a group of eight members from ARK, the 30-minute workshop will feature brief descriptions on animal innocence, deciphering and responding to animal sounds, to-dos of Jolatankaa (rabies), vaccinations, etc, and what to do if attacked by street animals. The workshop will also aim to teach children how to treat an animal by introducing them to the vaccinated dog Shanti. ARK believes that conventional ways of teaching children about animals only lead them to see these beings with hatred and disrespect. It will not hold them back from being aggressive or cruel to street animals, which will only lead to a nation who hates animals. Tips verified by veterans on how to avoid health hazards that can cause by animals will also be addressed through the workshop. These sessions will also emphasise on the importance of vaccinations, how to deal with an attack, or what to do if someone gets bitten. In the future, Animal Rights Koalition Bangladesh (ARK) has plans to conduct similar programs in other places of the country, where underprivileged children often come in close contact with street animals.