It’s that time of the year again. In a few days, the air will be painted in colours of festivity, fun and frolic. With Holi around the corner, it is time to gear up with water-filled balloons, brightest gulals and water guns to drench each other with colours and spread the message of love, unity and celebration. The tradition of Holi, widely celebrated across India, speaks of the divine love between Radha and Krishna and the triumph of good over evil. Moreover, the vibrant and lively celebration of colours with dear friends and family brings along lots of Instagram-worthy moments making the occasion one of the most awaited festivals.
But just stop there! It’s often due to the passion for celebration we unwittingly include innocent stray animals in our party. Needless to say that it is very irresponsible to do so and the animals do not enjoy getting painted with colours. Holi colours have a detrimental effect on the health and psyche of stray animals. On one hand, they become afraid of the frenzied crowd and on the other, the chemical colours have a carcinogenic effect on them. We can wash off the colours easily once the celebrations are over, but the animals cannot and they bear the brunt of the damaging chemicals which we are largely unaware of.
Dry colours like gulal contain poisonous chemicals like mercury, lead and metal oxide which cause swelling and allergies in the skin of the animals causing skin diseases and hair loss. The gulals abundant in the air also can get inside their nasal airways causing choking and breathing trouble. Throwing water-filled balloons can even hit their eyes and ears, making them go blind and deaf permanently.
Therefore, it is time to become a bit more compassionate and live up to our collective duty of ensuring the safety of stray animals during the Holi celebrations. Believe me, it is not tough and practising some basic norms can go a long way to save innocent animals.
Ways to be Compassionable towards Strays during Holi
1. Adults must educate the children of society about the harmful effect of chemicals on our furry friends. Adults at the same time also must be careful and practice restraint. The festival of colours is a beautiful celebration and let us not makes it a harrowing experience for our four-legged neighbours. It is everyone’s responsibility to become aware of the adverse effects of colours and the long-term harm to stray animals.
2. If you notice some strays getting drenched in colour, take the initiative to wash them with clean water. Animals cannot wash themselves like us and the residues of colours on their skin cause irritation which can lead to open wounds making them susceptible to maggot infection and even death.
3. Animals have a different digestive system than us and process food differently. Don’t throw sweets or fried foods at them as these can cause serious digestive problems in them.
4. Always keep an eye on the strays in your locality. If you see symptoms like vomiting, loose motion, excessive drooling or any type of behavioural change in them, ask for help from the local municipality to take them to a nearby veterinarian clinic.
5. Apart from the adverse physical effects, the fear of being targeted with coloured water or balloons can make the animals anxious and depressed as they don’t understand what’s going on. Let them live peacefully and do not hit them with colours.
6. Be Considerate towards the strays as Holi is a festival of joy and unity and we must not turn it into a nightmare for our four-legged neighbours. Always be kind to them so that their physical and mental health remains intact.
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