Pet lovers allege harassment by activists

Pet lovers in the city are feeling harassed, reports HT Correspondent.

Pet lovers in the city are feeling harassed.

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They allege that they—people who keep animals, those who run pet shops and dog breeders—are being troubled by "armchair activists", who are raiding their premises and picking up their pets for no particular reason.

A voluntary group, Pet Lovers Association (PLA), held a meeting of all harassed groups. "We found People for Animals (PFA) is behind these illegal raids. They are raiding people at random. No wildlife officials or police personnel, who should be with every raiding team, accompany them. Now this group is telling us that pet shop owners and breeders need to take permission from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) even for keeping dogs," said PLA president Ashok Rai. They have also sought the Prime Minister's intervention.

Rai said the PFA had asked resident welfare associations (RWAs) not to remove stray animals. "Recently, the RWA members of Mayur Vihar told me about the growing stray dog menace. While the RWA wanted to remove these dogs, PFA didn't allow this," said Rai.

People for Animal's trustee Nadim Shehzad was not available for comment.

But another animal right's group, Animal Saviour, condemned the PLA protest. "The PLA is a sham. They are not concerned about animals. Pet shops are working in unhygienic conditions. Most pet shops do not breed puppies but get them from abroad or from untrained breeders. Pups are kept together, spreading infection from one puppy to the other," said Gautam Grover, managing trustee, Animal Saviour.

Grover said animal breeders have to obtain licence from the MCD which is not followed.

Grover said PLA's demand to remove stray dogs was also illegal. "The Delhi High Court bans picking up of stray dogs. Why are they blaming us? We are the ones following all the rules and working for a just cause," he said.