advertisement
“Import bloodline lab puppies available pure breed”
“[phone number] majestic quality shihtzu puppies available”
“Call [phone number] American Pitbull Registered Crop Ear puppies for sale”
These ads run onto hundreds of pages on Quikr, a website used to sell used and new furniture, appliances, and personal goods.
Bagheera was one such puppy who was advertised on the site. Just 21 days old, he was bought online for Rs 13,000 and landed up in the possession of a young first-time dog owner.
No one would have predicted that the white Labrador puppy would soon meet a tragic and painful end.
As a result of unhygienic breeding conditions Bagheera soon became afflicted with canine distemper. Furthermore, the young pup had not yet weaned off his mother. He was given up to a foster home and then handed over to CARE on 19 April. After 15 days of suffering, the little puppy breathed his last.
Facebook posts about Bagheera’s ordeal have been doing the rounds on Facebook for the past few days.
A petition started by the Bengaluru-based CJ Memorial Trust, founded by CXO search consultant Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, urges Quikr CEO Pranay Chulet, Indiamart co-founders Dheeraj Agrawal and Brijesh Agrawal, Facebook policy head Ankhi Das, Ministry of Environment and Forests and many others to ban online sale of pets.
According to a post by Anushree Thammanna, who was caring for Bagheera during his last days, Bagheera would “search for a nipple” whenever she carried him. He would also cry “every hour and a half – probably for his mother.”
While Bagheera’s story is tragic, it is one of the few which have come to light. Animal lovers and welfare workers who have been sharing the petition and making noise around the issue, have reiterated time and again that we are all responsible for many such Bagheeras.
Priya also explains that this is not a new issue — it has been around for several months now. This is also not the first time activists have tried to draw the online platforms’ attention to it.
When TNM checked OLX, we found a number of posts selling cats, some of them advertising explicitly – “for mating purposes only”.
Priya insists that while the petition and the social media campaign against online sale of dogs is driven from a place of grief after Bagheera’s death, the reasoning itself is rooted in law and existing regulations.
“A bleeding heart does not always mean bleeding brain,” she says, and explains three ways in which online sale of pets is illegal.
Further, “all licensed pet shops shall source/procure pups from licensed and registered breeders only, with proof of the same being available in the shape of adequate records,” the rules state.
Priya argues that aggregators such as Quikr are supposed to ask for and display licenses of breeders from everyone who posts a sale of puppies on their platform.
Secondly, puppies have to be a minimum eight weeks of age before being sold or even transported (unless the AWBI permits otherwise in specific cases). Like Bagheera, there are many puppies, much younger in age, which have been put up for sale on these platforms.
“So technically, display of pups online in a public forum contravenes this. It’s illegal,” Priya argues.
OLX, in response to the petition, said that the listings for cats were visible on their site because sellers do not need to obtain licenses, unlike for dogs. An OLX spokesperson said:
“Only users licensed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rules, 2016, are allowed to post advertisements in relation to dogs on OLX. It is relevant to note that the restriction under these rules apply only to traders and breeders of dogs. Advertisers in relation to cats are not required by the rules to obtain a license. For this reason, you may have encountered advertisements in relation to cats on the OLX platform,” the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, Quikr responded saying, "We were recently made aware of dog breeding malpractices and thank the petitioners for bringing it to our attention. We fully support them in eradicating cruelty towards animals and are committed to healthy practices. We are working on doing the right thing.”
Priya shares that they have received plenty of support from animal welfare and rescue organisations from other cities as well, including, Mumbai, Chennai and Pune.
A number of people have also come together to report the Facebook posts illegally and unethically selling dogs and puppies on social media platforms on Tuesday.
The option of filing a PIL is also under consideration, Priya stated.
The online petition has over 11,000 signatures so far. You can access it here.
(The story was originally published on The News Minute and has been republished with permission.)
(The Quint is now on WhatsApp. To receive handpicked stories on topics you care about, subscribe to our WhatsApp services. Just go to TheQuint.com/WhatsApp and hit send)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)