Humanity Still Alive: Man Rescues Pet Dog From A Waterlogged Area

A man rescued his pet in Tamil Nadu’s Mayiladuthurai district. He was seen rescuing his dog and son in a makeshift boat. The streets were waterlogged and there would have been no refuge for the Indian Pariah had he not been rescued from there. 

The IMD has warned Tamil Nadu to be prepared for heavy rainfall in the coming week. It has also issued a food alert in the coastal areas for the state that has been receiving continuous rainfall for two weeks. Fishermen have been advised not to go out to fish for the coming days. 

Humans still have their homes to shelter them from the incessant rain that has been predicted. However, animals always seem to be on the brunt of such incidents. Animals that live on the street are often scrambling from one shade to the other in the hopes of not getting drenched. Even animals that make it to a sheltered spot are shooed away by humans for reasons such as discomfort, excessive barking, an inherent dislike towards animals, or a feeble excuse for the street animals being a carrier for diseases. 

Street animals face neglect every day in terms of having to hunt for food, water, suitable territory, and hospitable humans. Abuse at the hand of humans is not unchartered territory for them. 

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Man Rescues Pet vs Man Weaponising The Law To Target Furry Friends 

Meanwhile, Noida felt the need to reach out to the law to impose strict restrictions on dog owners. Cases of dogs attacking children and adults had recently seen a spike in Noida, following which such impositions had been placed. These restrictions require a pet to be registered and be up to date on their rabies vaccine. In case a dog or cat attacks a human, the owner of the pet has to pay 10,000 INR. Additionally, the owner has to take the onus of funding the victim’s recovery expenses. 

Such restrictions only make a mockery out of the legal system in India and the provisions it has for punishing animal cruelty. The Noida restrictions have no clauses that excuse an animal for having attacked on the grounds of self-defence. Animals being mute serve as the perfect victims for perpetrators of animal abuse thereby rendering the reason for any animal attack undiscoverable. 

It doesn’t take an animal rights activist to predict that the rate of animal cruelty is much higher than those of animal attacks. Yet, The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960 has not been revised in more than 60 years. Perpetrators of animal abuse can get away with a ridiculously low fine of 10 INR, whereas a pet owner has to pay the penalty of 10,000 INR without an independent body making an effort to investigate the causal nature of an animal attack. 

Animal abuse rates are explicitly higher in the months of Diwali festivities, from deliberately causing harm to animals to ignorantly bursting crackers in their midst, humans seem to be the cause of much unrest for these animals. However, amid such humans, we also have thoughtful beings like our unsung Tamil Nadu hero who show love and respect to our furry friends. 

The views expressed are the author's own.