Animal rights activists demand stricter actions

KATHMANDU, June 28: In a height of cruelty, a man attacked a street dog out of sheer anger in Kirtipur on Thursday, damaging one of the dog’s eyes permanently. Police have, however, arrested the offender, Suresh Maharjan, a resident of Kirtipur Municipality-5, following the registration of a complaint against him. The man launched a savage attack on the street dog  allegedly for attacking his chickens.

The malefactor was immediately reported to the Kirtipur Police Station by Sneha’s Care, an animal rescue and treatment center, which rescued the injured dog, and filed a complaint against the alleged attacker. The dog was rushed to the Animal Medical Center shortly after the incident took place.

“The dog’s state is extremely critical right now and treatment is underway. It will have to undergo numerous surgeries and one of its eyes will have to be removed surgically,” said Sneha Shrestha, the founding chairperson of Sneha’s Care. 

Shrestha said that the dog is currently unresponsive and is in a coma. 

“It is extremely unfortunate that currently there is not a strict law against animal offenders in the Constitution of Nepal. 

The provisions for animal cruelty in Nepal fall under the Muluki Criminal Code, 2074 (2017). Specifically, Section 116 and Section 290 address various forms of animal cruelty, including reckless conduct and abandonment. The penalties for such acts include fines up to Rs 5000 or imprisonment for up to three months, or both​.

However, animal rights activist Shrestha thinks that these provisions are far from enough. “For such ruthless offenders, who see animals as inferior to them, there should be stricter action taking place.”

She further added, “The government needs to enforce strict laws against such heartless criminals. An Animal Welfare Act needs to be implemented and animal welfare should be guaranteed in the constitution itself and must be implemented as soon as possible. Even the public should not stay silent when they witness such heinous attacks on innocent animals. The accused should be reported to the nearest police station and they should ensure that the police take severe action against them.”

A similar case took place in Ilam a few weeks ago, when a group of youths brutally thrashed a small puppy and threw it into a ditch, an incident that went viral on social media. The Nepal Animal Welfare Association immediately filed a complaint at the Ilam District Police Office which led to the arrest of the two offenders. 

Currently, there are over 35,000 community dogs in the Kathmandu Valley. However, in comparison to the number of such dogs, animal shelters and medical centers for animals are very few and limited to fewer locations.  

 
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