• Uncontrolled pet breeding and sale: HC asks state to file affidavit
    Times of India | 11 September 2024
  • Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has asked the state govt to submit an affidavit on the enforcement of existing acts and rules to prevent cruelty to animals following a PIL on indiscriminate breeding and sale of pets leading to large number of animals being abandoned on the streets.

    “Proper implementation of laws against unethical breeding and promoting ‘adopt, don’t shop’ are key to saving our dogs,” petitioner Radhika Bose of animal rights organisation CAPE Foundation said, pointing to puppies housed in small enclosures and subjected to unnecessary pain and suffering under the hands of backyard breeders and pet shop owners.

    Among several unsuitable breeds sold are ‘Samoyed dog’ and ‘Siberian Husky’ that have a thick fur coat and are native to cold-temperature zones.

    Calcutta High Court Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam said: “We hope and trust the state of West Bengal will appropriately respond on the next hearing.”No lawyer was present to represent the state when the case was heard on Thursday.

    Animal rights activists said pet abandonment had become a major worry with scores of pedigree dogs left on city streets by former pet parents. The incidence of pet abandonment has spiked since the Covid-induced lockdown when many had adopted pets to overcome the sense of isolation and abandoned them after schools and offices reopened. Animal rescue organisations are worried because the trend has continued into 2024.

    According to activists, 40 out of 100 dogs that are purchased are eventually abandoned. “Unlike stray dogs that survive on the streets without much care, pedigree dogs lack resilience and are vulnerable and unable to fend for themselves,” said Prasenjit Bar, owner and animal aid volunteer of Samarpan Animal NGO, Sonarpur.

    While cats also face abandonment, they are more resilient than dogs and have a better chance of adapting to street life.Pedigree dog breeds that mostly face abandonment are generally Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Huskies, and German Spitz.

    Queenie Biswas, owner of a restaurant for dogs, said: “The problems faced by pet parents who adopt dogs are that the animals are initially fearful and mistrusting of new people and environments, all of which gradually reduce.”
  • Link to this news (Times of India)