This is the week of carnage. Apparently, God, gods and goddesses have given the sign – they demand blood. Man’s inhumanity attains a crescendo when he sacrifices innocent animals on the altar. During this week, Nepal’s ground will be soaked with blood from decapitated heads of thousands and thousands of buffalos. This is all to satisfy the whims of goddess Gadhimai. Do people really believe she would deliver the goods?”

Dipen Bhattacharya is aghast at Nepal’s decision to condone mass slaughter of animals; all in the name of religion.

To be released from India, I was told, Zoey would require an export certificate from the Animal Quarantine and Certification Service (WR), Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, situated in Kopar Khairane, Navi Mumbai. The vet warned me to take every piece of paperwork I possessed, because government officials he said ‘were temperamental.’

Sonia narrates her experience dealing with Dr. SD Bhosale in obtaining an export certificate for her dog at the Department of Animal Husbandry.

Last year many strays that I knew passed away. Most of them were dogs that were old and had lived a good life on the street. They were looked after and cared for by someone. It becomes very tough when you lose a pet and for me it has always been tough to lose so many that I have known over the years. All these were strays that I had interacted with and grown very fond of.

Abodh at Straying Around remembers the lovable stray dogs that he has known over the years on the streets of Mumbai. Any dog lover knows how it feels to lose a pet even if didn’t live in your home.

Imagine walking serenely on a path with the Thames on one side and open fields on the other. You will meet people strolling, cycling or running from time to time. There are flowers to be clicked and admired, in that order. The weather is mild (gave me a mild sunburn later as I was not using any lotion) and all is at peace in the world! Right? Wrong.

Mridula is out for a walk in Oxford but unfortunately runs into creatures that she fears a lot. Come on, they are out for a walk too after being cooped up at home waiting for people to come home.

We were advised before trying to plan a trip to Kenya, Tanzania may be the more wild, remote and breathtaking option. Now, it has one more advantage, that it is more politically stable than Kenya. Of course, coming into see the wild animals in their natural habitat is the allure which can’t be missed and must be shared with all, as Nita has on her trip several years ago,

The best part about this park is it’s isolation from the rest of the world… gives you a feel of the world before man took it over. It’s not just the animals. It’s the thick and singing jungle, spectacular scenery, the baobab trees, the sounds of the animals…we will carry this in our hearts forever.