Pet lovers in the city are yet again upset with the Horticulture Department as it has decided to invoke a ban on pet animals in Cubbon Park from July 1. The tussle between the department and pet lovers who come to the park has been going on for almost five years now as a previously imposed ban had to be revoked by the department following major backlash and protests.
Now, as around 250 walkers in the park have submitted a written complaint about the pet problem, the department has considered the ban.
A senior official of the Horticulture department said that the walkers complained that many people let their dogs run unleashed within the park. “Without leashes, the walkers say that certain dogs just jump upon them or attack them. They added that dog poop is found at random places as the pet parents do not pick it up. For now, we have decided to put up a prohibition board at the park from July 1. We will monitor the feedback we get, and then have a meeting with all the stakeholders of Cubbon Park and also environmentalists. We will then work out a solution,” the official said.
At the same time, pet lovers and animal volunteers led by the Cubbon Dog Park volunteers have started a petition opposing the ban. Some of them are of the opinion that for the mistakes of a certain number of people, all pets and pet lovers should not be punished by the department. Some of them also questioned why the Horticulture Department has not imposed a fixed penalty for these offences instead of totally banning animals from the park.
Priya Chetty Rajagopal, an animal rights activist, said the decision to ban pets has come as a shock. “However, if this issue is only because of unleashed dogs and unpicked poop, I hope that pet parents step up in a civic manner. Outside the premises of the dog park, they have to keep their dogs leashed and also clean up without fail,” she said.
