Ever since my childhood days, I have had a great fascination for animals and birds, which suffered a setback after I passed out of my fifth standard due to concentration on my studies followed by the service period. My love had begun with the sparrow, which made nests in our house and occasionally got hurt by the moving ceiling fan. I remember feeding it water on many occasions so that it could survive. It was a nice little bird with its chirping. But unfortunately, it is no longer seen around and appears to be a vulnerable species. Then there were street dogs, prominent among them was Puppy, which never hesitated to visit our house two-three times daily for its share of food. Puppy was almost a pet dog for me. It went somewhere when I started going to High School and never returned. My friends said it was run over by a truck. After its death, my father brought home another pet dog called Tummy, which stayed in our house. Once, while I sat on the sofa, it jumped into my lap and bit me—not in anger, but in affection. But fortunately, its teeth had not pierced my skin, and I did not have to undergo treatment for a dog bite. It also met its end due to some disease. Then there was a parrot, which, once out of the cage, flew away and never returned. There were cows too in our house, which my father had brought one by one—not exactly for milk, but because of his fondness for them. Whenever they saw my father, they would follow him and return home only after getting a packet of bread. This way, my childhood days were spent in the midst of birds and animals, which was instrumental in developing my fascination and affection for them, a feeling that continues to this day.
As far as the negative side of domesticated animals is concerned, I have had my share of experiences. When we were children, the pet dog of one of our neighbors went mad. It barked and ran after people. We children never went anywhere near our neighbor’s house. But people who came to the town early in the morning fell victim to the dog’s bite and got terribly wounded. On complaint, the local municipality sent its squad to catch hold of the dog. Our neighbor was an animal lover, and there were a dozen dogs with him. During my service period, I met with another incident. Most staff members were in the habit of feeding street dogs. But instead of throwing food towards them, they would raise their hands with food to make the dogs jump. Once, carrying eatables in my left hand, I was walking on the road. Suddenly, one street dog, aiming at the eatables, jumped waist-high and bit me. I got a wound on my waist on the left side and rushed home to wash it with soap. Then I went to the hospital and underwent the available treatment for the dog bite. I recovered, and no complications arose. Such incidents are common both in the case of domestic and street animals. So we must be careful, and facilities must be provided to people in hospitals for cases of dog and other poisonous bites. I was fortunate enough to get the right treatment in a government hospital in Odisha. We must not neglect such cases and get our pets vaccinated in time so that diseases do not spread from them. Such incidents may happen in our day-to-day lives, but this should in no way diminish our love for animals.
My fascination for animals has all the more increased with the addition of Leemo to our household. Leemo is a kitten that has turned out to be a family member for the last one and a half years. Earlier, as a child, though I was fond of animals and birds, I was not familiar with their behavior and psychology. But as an adult, I understand them better now. Leemo knows very well at what times of the day it will eat. So when I go with food, it moves towards the cage, wherein it used to take food when it was small. It looks into my eyes both in anger and affection, and I can understand its mood. It knows very well that its nails will hurt. So whenever I am bare-bodied, it never jumps over me. Neither does it open its nails while touching my cheeks and other parts of my body. Surprisingly, it recognizes family members even after months of absence from home. From a close study of Leemo, I have found that it prefers a system, like most of us. It waits for the right time and command to do things. It is so intelligent and understanding that sometimes I am forced to conclude that it has all the qualities of a human being, except for the power of speech. Nature has indeed been wonderful in creating animals like Leemo. It has thoroughly changed my attitude towards animals and birds.
It is good that the government is taking care of animals and birds in sanctuaries and national parks. Different projects have been formulated to protect endangered species like the tiger and the red panda. Many NGOs are fighting for the cause of animals and birds. The government is trying to protect the jungles wherein animals and birds can live safely. Even the common man is turning out to be an animal lover and is domesticating birds and animals. But despite the efforts, the situation regarding the protection of animals and birds is far from satisfactory. Street dogs have always been on the increase. Nothing much can be done about it. We must be careful while walking on the roads and streets, and the authorities must be particular about mad dogs. The worst thing happening on Indian roads is the gathering of cattle, which is not only causing accidents but also wounding them. When we were children, there were shelters run by the Gram Panchayat or the Municipality. If any cow or bullock caused any type of damage, particularly to crops, the person or persons affected brought it to the shelter and got some compensation. Then the owner of the cow or bullock came to the shelter and released it on payment. To solve the present problem, the authorities should be particular about the sale, purchase, and ownership of cattle. Though it is a difficult task, proper records may be maintained. Since the sale and purchase of cattle are mostly done in ‘Gaonhaat’ or village markets and also in town markets, majority records are possible. It is good that in India, a census of livestock, including cattle, is done every five years, which can be helpful in planning welfare programs for cattle and other livestock. Shelters in block, subdivision, and district headquarters must be maintained, and cattle moving here and there must be put in them until released by the owners. If nobody puts in a claim and ownership is not known, the cow or bullock must be sold off. The old and diseased cattle must be taken care of. Both at the government and private levels, efforts may be made to create awareness among people regarding the protection of jungles and wildlife. Government sheds may be started to give periodic shelter to domestic animals and birds when the owners leave home and go elsewhere. This may provide some encouragement to animal lovers to keep pets at home.
Animals and birds are wonderful creations of nature. It so happens that they are devoid of reason and the power of speech, but they have life. Our wayward shooting of animals and birds, the practice of animal and bird sacrifice, and our inhuman treatment towards them on occasion make it clear that we do not value their lives. This reflects our selfish nature. Keeping this in view, the great tradition of India has put emphasis on the importance of animals and birds and even their worship. Even the Hindu gods and goddesses have been associated with birds and animals. The bull, the lion, the peacock, the mouse, the elephant, the swan, and the owl have been associated with Lord Siva, Devi Durga, Lord Kartikeya, Lord Ganesha, Devraj Indra, Devi Saraswati, and Devi Laxmi respectively. This shows that animals and birds are in no way insignificant. Besides Hinduism, other religions like Jainism and Buddhism, which have developed on the soil of India, have put emphasis on Ahimsa and Jeeve Daya. “Follow nonviolence, be kind to animals and birds,” has been the maxim all along guiding Indian tradition. Jeeve Daya should be a guiding principle in our life.
(The views expressed are the writer’s own)

Mr. Prafulla Kumar Majhi,
Retired Asst. Director, A. I. R, is an eminent Scholar and freelance writer in English & Odia. His areas of interests are sociocultural, economic, literary, historical and analytical studies and writings.
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