To: Whomsoever it may concern

We are a group of residents of various educational campuses in India. We write this letter in our individual capacities. We are voluntary caregivers for various animals on our campus - dogs, cats, cows/bulls, etc.. We have been taking care of them through various means - feeding, attending to sick or injured animals. Most of the dogs on our campus are vaccinated and sterilized - we actively help in these drives.

Such harmonious co-existence is the ethos of our Indian culture as well as our constitution. It is also the scientific way to minimize human-animal conflict. Removal of these animals will cause other animals to take their place - these other animals are likely to be more aggressive due to displacement as well as likely unsterilized.

Fencing each campus is near impossible - in many cases, the campus borders natural bodies such as lakes, rivers, forest, etc. Furthermore, fencing does not solve the human-animal conflict problem but is likely to worsen the problem for society outside. Government shelters are non-existent and even the temporary shelters which exist are in inhumane conditions. It would be cruel to condemn the peacefully co-existing animals to such inhumanity for no fault of theirs.

Last but not least, as an educational institution, we believe that we must preach co-existence and compassion through their effective practice. Co-existence and compassion are not optional values - they are the bedrock of civilization. The Earth belongs to all animals and each of us is just a passer-by during the time given us on Mother Earth.

Signed in each one’s individual capacity: [300+ signatories - PDF]