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Now, Pune residents can report animal cruelty cases near them online
Pune district SPCA launched the SPCA Online System (SOS), which now enables residents to directly report animal cruelty online from within Pune district
The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Pune district, launched a web portal to report animal cruelty cases online on Wednesday.
This news has come as a relief to many, especially after the death of Lucky, a mongrel, who was attacked by security guards of a building in Mumbai for seeking shelter during rains.
The Pune district SPCA launched the SPCA Online System (SOS), which now enables residents to directly report animal cruelty online from within Pune district. “With an increased awareness of animal rights and the growing circle of compassion for animals, it was necessary to establish a system where animal cases can be addressed in a systematic manner,” said Naval Kishore Ram, Pune district collector and chairman of the Pune district SPCA, who inaugurated the SOS website on August 7.
“Animal cases are challenging to handle and we are a relatively small group of people managing an entire district, however, the system will be beneficial to the SPCA in being organised about the cases we get and ensure accountability of the work conducted by its members for animals,” said Neha Panchamiya, member of Pune district SPCA, who has been instrumental in the launch of the SOS website.
Under the mandates of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Establishment and Regulation of Societies for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Rules, 2001, each district in the country should have a Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The main purpose of the SPCAs is to aid the government, the state animal welfare board and local authorities in enforcing the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
“With the interest of expanding rights given to the animals in our district, the Pune district SPCA has launched its official website today: www.districtspca.com. The website provides citizens an option to report any animal cruelty online on the SPCA’s portal along with any proof of such cruelty. The cases reported, will, then be assigned to the members of the society who will assist the law enforcement agencies in conducting investigation, if there is sufficient merit and evidence present in the case. Besides that, it also serves as a resource tool for individuals who need to register under the Pet Shop Rules (2018) and Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules (2017) whose implementation has already begun through the Pune district SPCA,” said Shitalkumar Mukane, member secretary, district SPCA.
