📢 The Bridging Rainbows Foundation has appealed to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to intervene wrt massacre
of stray dogs going in Türkiye, a country, that is ironically going to be
hosting COP 31 this November. You must voice your concern, please email the
authorities. Below is the communication attached for your reference.
***
To
The Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Respected sir/ma’am,
Sub: Scientific & Ethical injustice in Türkiye, COP 31 host
I am writing to you with deep concern as well as immense hope requesting your
intervention in blatant ethical violations in Türkiye, the host country for
31st Conference of the Parties (COP31). In the backdrop of an unscientific
legislation, stray dogs are being rounded up savagely, taken to shelters that
have no roofs, food or water or basic veterinary care. Dogs in those shelters,
who await culling, are killing each other, drinking and eating each other’s
waste to survive and mounds of dead dogs are a regular feature. It is a public
health crisis with consequences that all of us will have to bear, unless better
sense prevails.
I believe, the host nation for COP 31 should responsibly adopt scientific and
humane methods (spay/neuter and vaccinate) to control dog mediated rabies.
Stray, a documentary by Ms. Elizabeth Lo, beautifully captured the sacred
human-animal bond between people of Türkiye and their stray dogs. But, this
barbaric behaviour and lack of ethical responsibility, is polar opposite to
what one might expect out of a COP 31 host. We cannot be talking of empathy,
sensitivity and sustainability for the environment and culling a sentient
being, an integral part of that environment, on the other.
We live in a deeply interconnected world where the well being of us humans and
animals and that of the environment cannot be viewed in isolation, but has to
be in tandem to survive and thrive together. It is, therefore, vital to
recognize the One Health Model, which is being widely embraced, practiced,
upheld and demonstrated to deliver sustainable results. For instance, Bhutan,
which adopted a One Health Approach, was recently declared rabies free by the
World Health Organization (WHO). The world is watching, celebrating Bhutan’s
achievement and shocked by the barbarism in Türkiye, menacingly after the life
of man’s best friend.
A country that is openly and shamelessly killing stray dogs, can never render
climate justice and is certainly not a good fit to host COP 31 either.
I humbly request you to address the matter with the host country, to realign
their policies with the global standards recommended by the WHO and to adopt
the One Health Model.
Thanking you in anticipation,
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Kuhu Roy
Director,
Bridging Rainbows Foundation
India
