Saving animals will be a lot more organised.

Those in the business of saving animals from the jaws of death will have to be registered as an organisation. A guideline has been developed and this is expected to ease the management of rescued animals.

Of late, there is a growing interest, driven by religious sentiments, to save animals. Every now and then we see yaks, oxen, chickens, fish and even goats saved, and then “freed.” This is a good initiative. As a Buddhist country, we discourage killing, even if we like eating meat. Thousands of animals could have escaped the butcher’s knife since the initiative started picking up in the last couple of years.

By registering as a non-government organisation, the tshogpas could still carry on with their kind initiative. The move is to make it more organised and make life better for the animals after they are rescued.

The biggest issue is when the initiative cannot keep up after animals are rescued. Going by reports, life after escaping the slaughterhouse is no better, although they can have a few more years to live. We have reports of cramped shelters where care goes missing and animals end up sick and hungry. Kuensel, in the past, reported of cannibalism in some dog shelters.

Villagers are complaining of intrusion into their grazing land from stray cattle, some caretakers are complaining of lack of food for sheltered animals while others are losing crops.

In urban areas, stray animals are competing for the little space available. If they are a nuisance along the busy roads, they fall victim to reckless driving. The number of stay cattle along the expressway is increasing. With no grazing space, cattle feed on plastic and cardboard boxes that are slowly killing them.

The whole purpose of tshethar is defeated if animals are confined to cages or made to fend for themselves in unknown environment. There are reports of cattle thieves who easily prey on stray cattle. Livestock officials are warning of the risk of disease outbreaks. Some cases had been confirmed.

With more and more people joining the initiative, some are taking advantage of the generosity of the people. Quite often, we see people visiting offices seeking cash donations. Compassion disappears when the donations become frequent and unorganised.

Saving lives is a noble initiative. It should be appreciated and supported. It will be more efficient if it is organised. Non-government organisations can raise fund and seek donations, both from within and outside. If it is well organised, there would be a good flow of fund too.

In the end, the saved animals will benefit the most from a well-organised system.