The three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, by staying the earlier order of a two-judge Bench and putting its stamp of validity on the ubiquitously Indian phenomenon of community or street dogs, has not only upheld the law again but also reiterated faith in the wisdom of Indian culture. Following the time-tested wisdom and practices of our forebears rather than succumbing to the perceived “superior" sagacity of the West is truly an imperative now.

Even before Friday’s judgement upholding the efficacy of vaccinating, sterilising and releasing dogs back to their own territories as the only practical and humane way of dealing with the stray issue (rather than using the slanted word “menace"), there have been times when India has struck a different path from the West on animals. The most visible of these was the landmark Wildlife Protection Act, passed in 1972 which totally banned all forms of hunting.

Criticism ranged from the Act making it a wildlife vs human situation with the latter prevailing thereby making it tough to “deal with dangerous animals" to even calling it “Brahmanical" as it outlawed traditional livelihoods of snake charmers and bear and monkey dancers. But the fact remains that despite huge population pressure, India has managed to protect most of its wildlife thanks to this Act, though the success of Project Tiger is the most eye-catching.

India refused to see its wild animals as “resources" to be utilised to bring in the blood-soaked dollars of “trophy" game hunters, unlike some African countries. India was not swayed by the self-serving, specious logic proffered by Western nations that it is ethically justifiable to sacrifice a few........

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