A letter bearing 205 signatures from students, scholars, and alumni of Jadavpur University was submitted to the vice-chancellor on Tuesday. The letter demands the demarcation of feeding zones for dogs on the campus, renovation of the existing animal shelter, and allocation of funds for vaccination and sterilisation of the dogs.
Demands for Animal Welfare and Safety
According to a student who spoke on the matter, the institute must ensure institutional funding to care for the animals on campus, as they are an integral part of the JU ecology. At the same time, safety should be ensured for all members of the campus community, including persons with disabilities. The student emphasised the need for functional animal shelters on the campus and stated that animals should not be relocated.
VC’s Response: Coexistence and Mitigation
Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee said, “We do not want any cruelty to dogs. But at the same time, there have been cases of dog bites and students with visual disabilities find it difficult while moving around if dogs lie in the way. So we will have to mitigate these problems in an empathetic way. I believe in the coexistence of dogs and humans. Hence, we will have feeding zones, where animal lovers can feed dogs. We will vaccinate and sterilise the campus dogs so that the population can be controlled. Apart from this, an initiative was taken to put collars on campus dogs to distinguish them from outside dogs.”
The university administration is working towards a balanced approach that ensures both animal welfare and the safety of all campus members. The proposed measures include designated feeding zones, vaccination drives, sterilisation programmes, and a collar system to identify campus dogs from strays entering from outside.
