Archives

"I believe I should be the City Father to all in this city, should I not?" The Mayor of Colombo put this question to us with gentle humour when we spoke to him about the dog population in the city.

The point he was making was that as City Father he believed he had to take under his wing not only humans but also all living things, including trees and the environment.

For the first time the City of Colombo has got a Mayor who recognizes the presence of "all creatures great and small" within the city.

It is not surprising, therefore, that having assumed office and in his inspection of the different departments of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), the Mayor did not fail to make a visit to its dog pound. Subsequent to this visit, the Mayor was forthright enough as to declare to his officials, as well as, to animal welfare organizations, that he was appalled by the inhumane conditions in the dog pound and the suffering undergone by the animals put in it, and that he intends doing something about it.

By speaking out loud about the inhumane conditions of the dog pound the present mayor has thrown aside the curtain of secrecy drawn over this place of torture for animals that has not seen any change for over five decades, at last bringing some hope of reform. At the meeting, the Mayor was surprised to learn from his officials that the annual grant for the maintenance of the Dog Pound and the Rabies Control Programme of the CMC was only around Rs. 2.6 million and promptly pledged to double it.

Could the mayor be considered too partial to animals in taking such a positive stand on their behalf? On the contrary, unlike former City Fathers of the CMC who it could be said showed no concern for animals at all, the present Mayor shows a well- balanced approach with his concern for both people and animals.

For instance regarding the dog pound, the Mayor's concern is not only for animals, but also for the people living in the proximity of the dog pound, for whom it has become a severe health hazard.

The Mayor has not forgotten the complaints made to him during his recent election campaign by people living around the dog pound, about the stench and the effluence from the pound flowing into their drains, and the distress and disturbance caused to these people by the incessant cries of the dogs retained there. The Mayor also shows concern for the pain of mind caused to animal lovers in the city by the cruel methods of catching, retention and killing of animals in the CMC dog pound. After his visit to the dog pound, the Mayor lost no time in contacting organizations for the welfare of animals. It is probably the first time in the history of the CMC that a Mayor has taken the initiative and invited animal welfare organisations for discussions, or 'brain storming" sessions as he puts it, with his officials in order to put a stop to the cruelties inflicted on animals and jointly work out a campaign for the humane management of the dog population and the eradication of rabies in the city.

At the first meeting the Mayor was positive and forthright. Doing most of the talking himself, the Mayor expressed his views with regard to the need for the effective yet humane management of the dog population of the city.

Some of the main points from the views expressed by the Mayor at the meeting with the animal welfare groups were:

The Colombo Municipal Council must endeavour to be humane in the handling of dogs, whether in catching, retaining in the pound or destroying dogs, whenever it is considered necessary to do so.

The Mayor considers the officials of the CMC should not be blamed for putting animals through a cruel system up to now, because there are heavy demands on them by some members of the public to catch and destroy dogs. At the same time, the Mayor emphasized that his officials should recognize and heed the fact that there are large numbers of animal lovers in the city who are anguished by the cruelties inflicted on dogs by the CMC. He pointed out that as a solution to this, the officials must begin to work closely with animal welfare groups to develop humane systems of dog management.

The Mayor further stated that once a policy for the management of the dog population was evolved on humane lines, he hoped it would be followed not only during his tenure as Mayor, but even after him.

It was heartening to know that the Mayor was keen to bring in long-term reforms, not just some superficial changes for the moment.

An action committee was to be formed comprising officials of the CMC and animal welfare groups this week to mark the right of other species to a share of habitat earth as much as man.

It is hoped that this committee will move forward steadily to finding solutions for the humane management of the dog population and the prevention of rabies in the City of Colombo.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager