A HIGH-SPEED van on Dadu-Larkana road recently overtook the car I was travelling in and hit a dog so hard that it flew and fell a few yards in front of the van. The callous driver did not reduce the speed and crushed the half-dead dog by overrunning it. This was disgusting.

One sees most roads dotted with crushed or bleeding bodies of animals. People of Thar call the roads ‘black snakes’ because roads in Thar have become killing fields for livestock, which is the mainstay of the livelihood of the majority of the Thari people.

Besides roads becoming killing strips for animals, other kinds of animal cruelty include poisoning thousands of stray dogs by municipal authorities, and dragging and stoning dogs by children for fun.

Also, we often see overloading animals, such as donkeys, mules and horses, keeping them hungry and thirsty to make them earn their living first, and then deserting them when they become useless on account of age or injury.

In civilised societies, killing of even snakes and scavengers is also considered an act of cruelty against animals. The hunting of birds and other threatened species falls under the same category. There is a need to change perceptions of the public about treating animals.

Those in authority, particularly the relevant government departments, should lead the way by enforcing a ban on hunting of endangered species.

They should also not invite foreigners and local high-ups for hunting in sanctuaries.

Besides, roads should be fenced so that stray animals and livestock may remain safe from high-speed vehicles driven by reckless drivers.

Gulsher Panhwer
Johi

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2021