Pune Grand Cycling Tour and Dogs
Last week Pune welcomed over a 100 top cyclists from all over the world for a remarkable cycling race in the city. There was quite a buzz going around with thousands of people standing by the side of the road to get a glimpse of the racers. I do enjoy cycling and could easily make this a cycling blog but it wouldn’t really fit in here.
So how do the dogs come into this?
Well, the dogs come into this because the authorities were tasked with ensuring that the dogs do not come onto the route while the race was on. They were afraid of accidents happening because of dogs moving about and were told to pick up the dogs and keep them in a shelter until the races are done.
Pune has a long history of mismanagement when it comes to dogs on our streets. Dogs have been relocated, abused, and some have died due to humans trying to “manage” their lives. The dog catchers aren’t always trained and the whole ordeal of catching dogs is usually extremely traumatic for dogs. So the volunteers were super worried about how this is all going to turn out.
The final race was on the 23rd of January in Pune. On the 22nd, the authorities reached out saying all the dogs on the route need to be picked up. Throughout the city volunteers got together to ensure nothing shady is done to the dogs. I was involved with two such groups in Deccan and Kothrud, covering the route from University Chowk to Gujarat colony (about an 8 km stretch). The officials were respectful for the most part, maybe because of so many volunteers being present. Every time a dog was spotted, we would first ask locals if they can keep the dogs secured in their shop or home. Only the ones who didn’t have a human around them were picked up along the route and sent to a shelter. Some of the dogs who were sent were old so volunteers made sure a vet would check them out while at the shelter. We thought job was done. We can enjoy the race and then get our dogs back.
If only things were so simple with the officials. On the morning of the race, they decided they’re going to take their van again on the route and pick up all the dogs that they see. Volunteers scrambled in the morning to once again accompany the dog catchers. The only catch this time was that the dogs would not be sent to a shelter. They would have to remain inside the van until the race was over.
All the dogs that were needed to be caught were done so by 11 am. The race was not for another two hours or so. The officials had no provision for keeping water for the dogs. As I observed them go through their catching, it really did feel like this is just a job for them. Like a butcher who feels no emotion towards the chickens that are about to be slaughtered at his hand. Thankfully the volunteers present were sharp enough to arrange for water and keep bowls inside the van.
The race started at around 1:30 pm. However the cyclists wouldn’t pass our route until 3. It was only an hour after that were the dogs released. Releasing dogs from a van is also way more complicated than I thought. If the volunteers weren’t present, the officials would remove the dogs without much consideration. But we made sure every single dog was released on the exact spot in his/her territory.
It was not easy though. The inside of the van was dark. There were brown dogs and black dogs who looked similar. There was lots of confusion in figuring out which dogs were to be released at which spots. Shopkeepers and other locals helped in identifying dogs that they knew. It took a couple of hours but thankfully every single dog was released at the right spot. It felt like a victory and all volunteers went for a bite to celebrate.
It was a win. There was no accident caused by a dog. Given the narratives around street dogs going around the country, it was important that no accident happens in this race. It would have only given the anti-dog movement yet another reason to get rid of all the dogs.
However, as days have past since the race. The win is no longer feeling like a win. If I were a dog, I would be so confused and angry. And in my view, that’s how almost all the dogs who were caught were. They were also afraid. Imagine for a dog who is just resting by the side of the road, is suddenly trapped in a net and thrown into a dark stinky van with other confused and scared dogs. I could feel what the dogs were feeling as I witnessed them being captured. My heart broke so many times but I kept a calm face to communicate with the authorities to be kinder and gentler in their actions. The whole event was a reminder how humans continue to treat animals and environment. We have the brain and resources to dictate terms. Someone decided to have this race in the middle of the city. Was is amazing to witness? Yes. Did it cause incredible problems to both humans and animals? Also yes. Could the race be planned better? 100%. A lot of locals have issues with the authorities that go beyond the dogs. The cycling route was ‘fixed’ and so many of Pune roads no longer had potholes. So our local authority has the ability to improve our roads. It took a televised cycling race for them to do so. Pune’s roads are still not cycling friendly. The more I think about it, the more I feel that most of the work that happens here is for PR. People will do something if it makes them look good. Not because it will improve our lives, or benefit a wider community. There were potted plants placed along the route. They were gone the following day. Just like how they want to ‘develop’ the river front without actually doing much to clean the river.
The dogs were also another hurdle in this PR activity. For the people at the top, it was a problem that needs to be managed. This is always seen when we feel humans are superior and everyone else is below us. We look at dogs with either sympathy or problems. We don’t look at them at the same level as us. And that’s the same with environment. Hills will be celebrated along Maharashtra. However, not many would think twice before a hill is destroyed for a new road. The news of Tadoba national park also succumbing to mining is yet another sign of things to come. The tigers will be forced adjust.
Today the Supreme court will hear the case of dogs again. It seems so odd that a few men get to decide the fate of so many dogs in this country. Just how a few men decided that it is okay for dogs to be traumatised by having to spend a day inside a dark van.
The race is over and will be forgotten with time. However, it will take a while for me to erase the visuals and the sounds as dogs screeched in horror.
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