By Maliha Mehnaj
In Bangladesh, summer does not only mean heat but also in many cases it becomes a difficult time of struggle for survival.
And this struggle is the most cruel for those street animals who live around us but remain neglected. People easily find a little shade or a cool environment but helpless animals roaming the streets do not get that opportunity.
The intense sun, lack of water and food shortage all make them suffer silently.
Where people can take refuge in fans, air cooler or cold water to protect themselves from the heat; dogs, cats or birds on the streets are only lucky enough to have a few places to bask in the sun.
Even they often have to become restless due to fear of being scolded or kicked by people.
In Dhaka and other major cities of the country, the temperature has recently reached close to 40 degrees.
While walking on the streets during the day in these terrible temperatures is difficult for people, street animals are enduring it silently every day.
In the heat of the sun, the roads turn into fires which burn like a furnace under their feet. Many times they are seen breathing like bellows, sticking out their tongues and looking for water. Their eyes and faces show signs of helplessness which people easily ignore.
Due to lack of trees, small birds get lost in the intense heat. They come down to find a little shelter on shady electric poles or building cornices.
Many times, tired birds are seen lying motionless on the side of the road. In search of water, they come down to the side of the sewer or on household waste, where it is hopeless to hope for clean water. Many animals die in the heat due to dehydration and heatstroke, but we do not notice these things.
This reality is not only unfortunate, it also paints a bleak picture of the humanity of our society. We easily neglect our domesticated animals in the hustle and bustle of life but stray animals remain unimportant despite being around us.
Many times, some people are seen behaving cruelly towards animals; which is not only inhumane but also a punishable crime under the law. However, there is some light of hope.
Recently, many young people, voluntary organizations and some ordinary citizens have been standing by the stray animals on their own initiative.
Some are providing cold water and food on the streets, while others are providing medical treatment to sick animals.
But as much as this effort is commendable, there is much more need for this initiative to be spread on a large scale.
Taking sustainable measures for stray animals through a combination of government and private initiatives is the need of the hour. If city corporations provide shaded shelters and water supply at certain places in each ward, it may be possible to save the lives of animals in summer.
On the other hand, we can also take small initiatives at the individual level. Keeping a pot of cold water in front of the house, giving a little food or taking a sick animal to a veterinarian; these small initiatives can be the beginning of a big humanitarian change.
This city belongs to all of us. Humans, animals, birds, everything is our environment. Therefore, we have a responsibility not only for ourselves, but also for those animals who cannot speak out but wait for our sympathy.
Fulfilling our responsibility towards them means not only saving lives, but through this it is possible to keep our human values alive.