Animal Welfare

My interviews in Madurai went very well. My first interview was with a veterinarian who spoke little English so it was difficult to receive honest or straightforward answers. He basically gave us an overview of the ABC (Animal Birth Control) program. Government officials collect stray dogs, sterilize them, give them the rabies vaccination, and then release them back into the streets. It’s been effective, as dog bites, rabies cases, and stray dogs have all steadily decreased over the last few years. Even though it was my interview, he refused to look at me and just spoke to Nigel instead (I’ve found that this happens quite a lot when I go with another male volunteer). His surgical desk was quite the sight (my fellow workers at Horton Animal Hospital would be completely aghast). The surgery room had a dirt floor with chickens and goats running around; his surgical tools were dirty and scattered everywhere—there’s no need to even mention any form of sterilization. After the interview, Mutu took Nigel and I to lunch by bus and we sat next to a group of women. Nigel and I are both blonde so we attract a lot of attention anyway but these women seemed to be unusually interested. Mutu told us later that blonde hair isn’t attractive in India because Indians think that it looks like white hair—the women on the bus were saying that I “looked like an old woman!” Of course Nigel thought this was extremely funny and proceeded to find a walking stick on the ground for me (note that they never said he looked like an old man!) We all went to Baskin Robins (yes, they have Baskin Robins in India!) and met the director of People for Animals (Madurai branch-much like the ASPCA in America). This was probably the best interview I have had in India. As a pathologist and as head health director for the hospitals in Madurai, he still finds time for animal welfare. I was surprised to discover that animal rights are somewhat scoffed at in India. Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism all worship animals yet a person is “psychotic” if he or she is concerned about them. When I told the director of my journalism placement that I wanted to write a story on animal welfare he looked at me and laughed. “Why do a story on animals when there are so many people problems?” “Write a story about how we all love animals!!” I’ve found that this sentiment is quite common. Many people in the States would say the same thing. As an animal lover, I do not see their point. If someone is willing to torture an innocent animal they are more likely to commit a more serious crime against a human. Hopefully I can convey this in my article. Stray dogs roam the streets and many of the females are overbred and then left to die painfully. I saw a policeman brutally beating a dog in Bangalore for no apparent reason. It’s not just dogs—cows are left to die after farmers are finished with the milk, bull fighting is still legal in many states, and cock fighting is still popular. It seems a little bit troublesome to me that one is supposed to report animal abuse to the police and many of the police are committing the crimes themselves. Dr. Palanikumar is spearheading the animal rights movement in South India. People for Animals has branches in major cities throughout the North and the South and it’s slowly gaining a following (emphasize slowly). His ultimate goal is to build an animal hospital and shelter in Madurai and then form an animal adoption agency (there are currently NO adoption agencies for stray dogs and cats). If you’re interested, the website for PFA Bangalore is very good. Go to http://www.pfabangalore.org/www.pfabangalore.org/activities.html