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Animal rights activists in Dhaka on Friday staged a protest outside the National Press Club, urging the Bangladesh government to take immediate steps to protect stray dogs and halt alleged culling operations in the city.
The demonstration was organised by members of the Dhaka University Animal Welfare Club and other activists, who expressed dissatisfaction with what they described as a lack of action by the new administration to safeguard the animals. Speaking to ANI, rights activist Rubaiya Ahmed, head of the animal rights group Avayaranny, alleged that authorities had illegally removed and killed dogs that had long lived in neighbourhoods and on university campuses. "Having to do this, we have a new government, supposedly a very animal-friendly government, and we're still having to hold this protest. That's pretty damaging for our hope and for our dreams, and most importantly, this is against the law," Ahmed said. She accused the administration of Dhaka South City Corporation and officials at the University of Dhaka of violating animal protection laws by allegedly capturing and killing dogs rather than relocating them. "They're saying that they removed the dogs, but they didn't remove the dogs; they killed the dogs because they picked up dogs that are 10 years old and 12 years old and that have been taking care of this neighborhood, the kids are taking care of the dogs and they have been picked up, sedated, and tossed over the river," Ahmed said. According to Ahmed, students attempted to track vehicles that had taken the dogs but were unable to locate them afterwards. "They're not alive because these students chased the trucks down; they tried to find the dogs and they couldn't. So, the City Corporation actually killed the dogs; they didn't remove the dogs, and both are illegal," she added. Activists said the protest aimed to raise awareness about the treatment of stray dogs across the capital and called for humane management policies, including vaccination and sterilisation programmes. Ahmed said students and volunteers had been raising funds and organising vaccination and sterilisation drives for years to care for the campus dogs. "This needs to stop once and for all. It doesn't matter; we're here for the dogs. We need to specify and focus on the dogs right now because we don't want to dilute this issue. There are animals suffering from various reasons all across the country, but today we're here for the dogs, for the campus dogs, and these campus dogs are alive and well because of the students, and you've gone against the students," she said. "They raise funds and vaccinate and sterilise these dogs, you didn't bother to have communication with them or have a dialogue with them; you just went on and did what you wanted to do. And it's not only against the law; it's against the public sentiment, it's against these students who have been taking care of these dogs for decades," the activist added. She stated that the protest represented a collective effort by concerned citizens and supporters of the Dhaka University Animal Welfare Club. "We're not representing any single organisation. We are here collectively to support the students and to demand protection for dogs across Dhaka and Bangladesh," Ahmed said. (ANI)
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