Covid- 19 and the Strays

     Covid-19, a pandemic that has reached almost the entire globe, with around 1,54,350* deaths globally, it has become our new reality. With our country being on official lockdown from March 25, 2020, in most places, supply of essential goods has taken a serious hit. In case of the poor, it has been worse off. While it has affected people in humongous ways, animals are finally getting some slack time away from humans, and while this may seem great, the ones that depend on humans for food to survive are having it bad.

    In an address to the nation on March 25, 2020, the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi said – “Everyone must care for all the animals around them. Due to the lockdown several stray animals are facing a crisis because they will not get food. I appeal to the people of this country to take care of all the animals around them”.
While the Prime Minister has appealed to the public, people in my area suddenly wake up and come up with problem after problem because I do feed the stray dogs down my building. For the past eight years, I have been feeding these dogs. While what I give them may be measured materialistically, what I get from them is priceless. The selfless love, joy and loyalty they give me can never be measured. By giving these dogs something to fill their stomachs, we are preventing them from becoming ferocious, which will lead to them attacking someone. As long as they have food, they do not need to fight for morsels to survive. The assurance of getting a meal, even if it is just once a day, reduces the aggression levels in these animals.

So, while people everywhere are faced with problems due to this raging pandemic, let us not forget that there are other living beings that exist on this planet. If we have even a shred of humanity in us, we will be wise enough to learn to coexist and live in harmony with these creatures. If somebody is feeding strays, they are doing a service, so instead of making their lives hell, respect them. Even if you don’t agree with them, you don’t have to be a thorn in their side every second.
    These are trying times, but it is times like these that really defines us. It should bring out the humanity in us and guide us to reach out, even if the next living being may not be what we term a “social animal”.

* 1,54,350 toll from Wikipedia