Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Furry Friends Foundation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to manage street animals, protect public health and ensure animal welfare.

The MoU was signed at Nagar Bhaban on the afternoon of 15 January. DNCC chief health officer Brigadier General Imrul Kayes Chowdhury signed for the city corporation, and the organisation's founder and chairperson, Tasnim Sinha, signed for Furry Friends Foundation.

DNCC administrator Mohammad Ejaz was chief guest at the signing ceremony, organised by DNCC and chaired by Brigadier General Imrul Kayes Chowdhury.

Speaking as chief guest, Mohammad Ejaz said that by 2050 around 70 per cent of the world's people will live in cities. A city is not just a collection of infrastructure and people, he said; it has its own ecology, which includes dogs, cats and all other life. A fair city can be built only through humane and inclusive urbanisation.

He added that the realities of the Global South cannot be judged by the experience of the Global North. "Removing street animals from the city is not our aim; co-existence is our goal. We are giving animal protection the highest priority."

DNCC chief executive officer Muhammad Asaduzzaman said: "DNCC is taking steps to appoint 10 veterinary surgeons for animal protection. Raising public awareness about protecting street animals is also very important."

Under the MoU, the two sides will carry out CNVR (Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release) work, rabies control, public awareness campaigns and joint initiatives in waste management.

According to the agreement, DNCC and Furry Friends Foundation will jointly run vaccination programmes for street animals and use CNVR to control the dog population by humane and scientific methods. They will also run wide publicity campaigns to raise city dwellers' awareness of animal welfare and public health.

A notable part of the joint initiative is a plan to turn waste into food for street animals. This will help keep the city clean and, at the same time, offer a sustainable way to meet the animals' food needs.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.