Web of Life

The animal lovers are on the defensive, while the authorities are on the offensive, with full intent to kill. The ferocity of the attackers is surprising, as it seems everybody has agreed on a humane rabies control scheme of sterilisation and immuniation, hailed worldwide as the cheapest and most effective way of eradicating rabies. We hear India is implementing this programme with great success.

Why are we suddenly being bombarded with stories of agonizing, lingering deaths (practically all of which was due to negligence), mad dogs running berserk on the highways with open mouths, foaming for a bite, and how much the poor government has to dole out daily to contain the deadly scourge? If we remember right, it was Rs. 3 million at the last count!

But how this sudden upsurge, real or fancied of rabies? We hear that a few months after a dog in the Bemmulla area was given an anti-rabies shot by the authorities, it became violently afflicted with rabies, that made him mad biting every dog that crossed its path. Most of the dogs in the neighbourhood had to be destroyed. To the astonished question as to how an anti-rabies vaccine could produce rabies, it was explained - like to a simpleton - "Why, don’t you know, sometimes what is jabbed into them is not anything anti-rabies, but distilled water!" Let our Animal Welfare Societies decide whether our animals have to pay the supreme price in such unspeakable agony in order to uphold the corruption and cupidity of our administrators!