The proposed killing of thousands of stray dogs in Kerala, southern India has prompted animal lovers and animal welfare groups around the globe to protest against the slaughter. People in India and all around the world have launched a campaign called “Boycott Kerala! World Wide Protest” calling for a boycott on Kerala as a tourist destination and on Kerala products.
Simultaneous protests will be taking place in all major cities in India on Sunday 26 July. Individuals and welfare groups in the USA, UK and Brazil will also lend their support to the outcry against the cruelty by holding protest marches (information about the location of marches can be found at the end of this article).
Rishi Dev of Citizens for Animal Rights in India said: “The decision by an all-party meeting in Kerala to cull all street dogs in the state is unconstitutional and barbaric.
“It must be noted that the state of Kerala has a history of open and institutionalised animal abuse in violation of the law as well as norms of acceptable civilised behaviour. In 2006, using the ploy of “selective culling,” the state killed as many as 80% of the dogs in a most brutal and barbaric fashion. The present mass killing is in contempt of the Supreme Court of India’s orders prohibiting killing of stray animals.”
Alan Knight, of UK charity International Animal Rescue (IAR), said: “IAR has years of experience caring for stray dogs in India. The only way to manage stray populations is to implement a comprehensive, long-term sterilisation programme to reduce numbers and improve welfare. Killing stray dogs using the brutal methods that the Kerala government has adopted in the past is barbaric beyond belief. We urge animal lovers around the world to take a stand against this planned massacre and put pressure on the Kerala government to see sense, reverse its decision and work on a more humane and long term solution to the problem.”
Protest location information:
Many other cities around the world are also in the process of organising protests on the same day.