It is absolutely heartbreaking to see that the culture of violence and abuse towards animals is still prevalent in Bangladesh, with the recent case of stray dogs and cats being poisoned within a gated community in the capital being another grim reminder of that fact.
According to reports, stray animals with obvious signs of being poisoned were discovered in Mohammadpur’s Japan Garden City, with activists claiming that a total of ten cats and dogs were killed in the process. Allegations have been fielded against officials of the JGC Flat Owners Association and that earlier a group named “JGC Life Safety” had set up banners bearing messages calling for stray dogs to be culled and other inflammatory rhetoric. This incident follows yet another which had occurred barely a month ago where three stray dogs in Banani Old DOHS were suspected of being poisoned.
What is truly abhorrent in these situations is how little time it takes for offenders to resort to cruelty. Indeed, the humane treatment of stray animals is codified into our very law, which states that stray animals not owned by any individual must be treated with compassion, while the law also prohibits the unnecessary killing of an animal by euthanasia or keeping an animal captive for 24 hours.
Of course, the law is only as effective as long as it is enforced, and given the dearth of strong law and order in the country, it is expected that law enforcement would not prioritize cases of animal abuse. However, nothing would be more tragic than those who resort to such barbaric levels of cruelty against beings who have little to no way to defend themselves.
Bangladesh has long aspired to be considered a developing nation, but such aspirations cannot hinge on mere economic progress. There are countless social malaises running throughout our society, cruelty towards animals is one of them -- until and unless we learn to respect the sanctity of every life, regardless of the number of legs they walk on, we cannot consider ourselves civilized.
