These Canines are Banned in India!
Several breeds of dogs have been legally banned in India for the first time.
Dog may be Man’s best friend. But recently the Government of India has named as many as 23 canine breeds to be enemies of humanity. The ban on importing, breeding, sale and housing as pets of these listed animals comes due to increasing incidents of dog bites nationwide. Yes, the numerous occurrences of these dogs sinking their teeth into human flesh have prompted authorities to deem them a potentially fatal threat to people.
The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has sent directives to Chief Secretaries of all India’s 28 states and 8 union territories to implement this strange new law. So, just which are the pooches on this prohibited list? – All Terriers, which include the Pitbull and the American Stafford; the Tosa Inu and the Japanese Tosa; other regional canines like American Bulldog, the Russian Shepherd, the Moscow Guard Dog, the Rhodesian Ridgeback, the Dogo Argentino and the Fila Brasileiro.
The banned list also includes other feared breeds like the Boerboel, the Kangal, the Akbash, the Canario, the Sarplaninac, the Tornjac and all Mastiffs and Wolf dogs. And last but the not the least – the most powerful and dangerous of them all – the Rottweiller, which boasts 300 pounds of pressure in its jaw. Interestingly, the decision comes in response to appeals from animal rights’ group PETA. It had filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking safety for vulnerable breeds being used in dog fights and other illegal activities. The writ also sought to lessen deadly canine attacks on humans.
In recent months there have been several reported instances of dogs violently descending on people in India, the most jarring of which was when one rabid pedigree injuring 20 persons in Himachal’s Bilaspur area. Also, an aggressive pitbull sent an infant to weeks of hospitalisation in Delhi last month, while only last week another pitbull seriously wounded a 10-year-old girl in Ghaziabad.
In 2007, following a few instances of rabid attacks by dogs, the government of the southern Indian state of Karnataka launched a merciless culling of strays in the capital of Bengaluru. But authorities had to abandon the massacre at the demand of animal rights’ groups. Since then, officials have resorted to the more humane avenues of neutering and vaccinating... ensuring that every dog at least be allowed to “have its day”.
