 "Geeta Seshamani")
There is a correction in this interview, which can be seen at the end of this page.
Last week, Friendicoes SECA, one of New Delhi's largest animal shelters, was on the brink of financial ruin as the city's civic bodies had defaulted on payments to it. This incident, following close on the heels of the unfortunate death of a six-year-old in the city after being chased by a pack of stray dogs, has put the focus back on the man versus animal rights debate. Geeta Seshamani, co-founder of Wildlife SOS and vice-president of Friendicoes, speaks to Ritika Bhatia about the need to build a sustainable animal care infrastructure
Friendicoes was in danger of shutting down recently. What is the status now?
Apart from the hospice and OPD that operates under the Defence Colony flyover and houses around 30 animals, we run two animal hospitals in Ghazipur and a permanent shelter in Gurgaon, which houses about 1,300 animals. But with debts touching Rs 80 lakh, we had to shut down our night ambulance and we did not even have money to pay our staff salaries. But we have received a very warm response from the public. BitGiving, a crowdfunding platform, built a campaign for us online and we are now inching towards our goal of Rs 40 lakh and rallying on.
What is the state of animal care infrastructure today?
The financial crisis that we are suffering is a reflection of the lack of commitment by the authorities to the notion of public health. We see ourselves as an animal welfare organisation, but we have always strived to have a balanced approach - it's not just a question of animal welfare, it is really a question of keeping the streets clean and contributing to a healthy relationship between man and animal. People should welcome the dog in their streets because they know it's a safe community pet.
There is a scientific, humane and doable programme to control the stray population - which is the sterilisation and vaccination of all animals. It has been done successfully in many countries and it comes recommended by the World Health Organization. We have been implementing this programme with the New Delhi Municipal Corporation since 1993, and with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi since 2003. Yet, it is sporadic and inconsistent.
Has it worsened in Delhi after the trifurcation of the municipal corporations?
Many NGOs have dropped off from the spay-and-neuter programme because they don't receive funds for five to six months. The problem is that we already have the infrastructure in place, it just needs to be utilised effectively. The government has 72 animal hospitals under it that have just not been opened yet - only four have been given to NGOs, and we have two out of the four. We are sterilising 500 dogs per day at these hospitals, if we get two more hospitals can't we double it? Right now there is a big disconnect - the animal hospitals are owned by the animal husbandry department but the municipal corporations have been given the mandate of the spay-and-neuter programme. So we all need to work together.
After the trifurcation, matters have become worse. The biggest defaulter on payments is the East Municipal Corporation; it owes us almost Rs 20-25 lakh.
The incident of the six-year-old boy has many residents up in arms and it seems to have snowballed into a man versus animal debate.
I would really urge people to get the post-mortem report on that boy - did he really die through dog bites? We won't know for sure till the report comes in. Very often, we see that there is a knee-jerk reaction in the public to such news.
No one says that all dogs are angels; there are aggressive dogs with bad temperament. Dogs are psychologically complex animals, the reasons for their aggressions are wide and varied - it could be fear, insecurity, a need to protect. So if the public finds instances of such aggressive dogs they can always call NGOs like us and we will take care of it. People are calling for dog pounds, but there is no need for such a system where you incarcerate each dog - it's a huge expenditure for a tiny and unsustainable gain.
What is the way forward?
We have asked the government to implement an anti-rabies programme that is not based on just camps. Especially in low-income groups, slums, residential areas - there is an army of people feeding strays dogs every day. We must learn to involve them and find a solution with their participation.
At the same time, our appeal to the public has been to restructure their thinking about charity. We have always given free treatment to the poor, but when we are asked to pick up an animal from the street and we request a donation people shouldn't hesitate to do so.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to geeta seshamani as the co-founder of Friendicoes. She's actually the vice-president.
