Zhalay Sarhadi highlights need for humane animal support

Actor Zhalay Sarhadi is using her social media platform to draw attention to a problem that many Pakistanis face on a daily basis but frequently feel powerless to address: the absence of emergency response services for stray and injured animals.

Sarhadi noted how frequently traffic accidents leave animals suffering on the streets without prompt assistance and posted on her Instagram stories that “there needs to be an animal welfare response team set up for each city.”

Despite their best efforts, she noted, animal welfare organizations and rescues are only able to function within the constraints of the funding they get. She brought attention to the resource gap that many non-profits encounter by saying, “Animal welfares and rescues can only do as much as the money they have donated to them.”

Further the actor said that “some of them are engaged in dog culling, which is against what I am stating here,” underscoring the ambiguity surrounding which government agency should bear responsibility.

Sarhadi invited her followers to reach out with suggestions, writing, “If anyone has an answer or solution, please DM. #saveanimals.”

Under the pretense of “keeping the streets safe for pedestrians,” several city departments and “concerned” neighbors in Pakistan frequently target stray animals with mass culling and poisoning.

An organized, compassionate system that puts compassion and responsibility above neglect and culling is sorely needed for animal rescue and welfare.