Animal welfare groups are to stage a human chain in Dhaka on Saturday to oppose demands for the culling of stray dogs and to push for vaccination and sterilisation programmes, citing Bangladesh’s animal welfare law and a High Court directive halting stray dog culling.

The protest, due to begin at 3 pm in front of the Raju Sculpture at the University of Dhaka, is organised by ALB Animal Shelter and backed by other activists and volunteers. It comes in response to a campaign by a group called Nirapod Shohor Andolon, which has been submitting memoranda, issuing press releases and campaigning for the culling of stray dogs.

Organisers said culling demands directly contradicted the Animal Welfare Act 2019 and a 2014 High Court directive halting stray dog culling. Sections of the act make causing unnecessary pain or killing an animal a punishable offence, they noted.

Bangladesh’s officially approved method for managing stray dogs is Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release, an internationally recognised approach, the organisers said. They attributed a significant decline in rabies mortality over the past decade to vaccination and sterilisation programmes.

Volunteers have independently been feeding, treating, vaccinating and sterilising stray dogs, and most are accustomed to peaceful coexistence with humans, the organisers argued.

They said presenting all stray animals as a threat on the basis of isolated incidents did not reflect reality.

The group accused unnamed quarters of deliberately spreading false information online, including use of videos from other countries, to whip up public panic and hostility.

Animal welfare workers and animal lovers were being subjected to systematic harassment and derogatory comments on social media, they added, urging the authorities to act against cyberbullying and propaganda.

Organisers also cited Islamic teachings on kindness to animals, arguing they do not support indiscriminate culling.

Participants in the human chain are expected to demand strict enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act and the High Court directive, outright rejection of any culling or illegal relocation of dogs, expansion of CNVR programmes, mass rabies vaccination with necessary budgets, and a responsible stance against misleading campaigns that fuel fear and hatred.