Noida: Humour met resolve at Ecovillage 2 in Greater Noida West this week when a group of residents decided to expand their protest against feeding of stray dogs by shepherding cattle into the society.Their logic? If dog lovers could feed canines freely, cows, buffaloes, goats and other four-legged friends should also receive their “fair share of hospitality”, they reasoned. While the move amused most, it also highlighted the simmering tension among residents over feeding of animals.On Sunday morning, around a dozen residents began feeding stray cattle and also brought some of them into the Ecovillage compound. To build up on the idea, a cattle shed with fodder, bananas for monkeys and hiring shepherds to introduce goats and sheep into the gated condominium are also on the cards.According to the residents, improper feeding habits have led more than a dozen stray dogs to loiter around in the society. This, they said, had given rise to increasing cases of dog bites, prompting questions on why some animals received special attention.A recent post on X by Mahender Mahi spotlighted such growing efforts, including the plan for a gaushalas. While some users saw this as a “tit-for-tat” strategy, others raised concern over such disagreements.“We have been troubled by the issue of stray dogs for long. Despite multiple complaints to the maintenance team and sharing videos of dog behaviour with them, nothing concrete has been done. So, this is our way of a symbolic protest — a cattle shed. If stray dogs can roam around the complex, why not cows, buffaloes, and other animals,” Rajkumar, a resident, sought to know.Rajkumar insisted that their actions had been peaceful. “The most common excuse given to feed stray dogs is that they are voiceless and need to be looked after. But, so are cows, monkeys and goats,” he added.According to Rajkumar, although Ecovillage has designated feeding points for these strays, dog lovers leave food anywhere in the society, resulting in a mess.The protesters are now planning to install a trough in front of Tower C-4 with green fodder for cattle. “Soon, we will keep food like bananas and water for monkeys, and pay local shepherds to bring in their goats and sheep to roam inside our society. Why should they be left behind?”While some dog lovers insisted they would continue feeding the strays the way they did earlier, others backed the decision to help more animals in distress.“Not everything can be done according to the mood. Laws and rules are also important. People can do whatever they want. I will not let the dogs go out,” said one of them.Another dog lover, Vaibhav, said, “Even the dog lovers will be happy that others in the society are learning from them and feeding the strays.”A more conciliatory stance came from Prabhat Dutt, a resident. “This is a good thing. Dog lovers will not have any problem with the move. We will also serve the cows, monkeys or goats along with serving the dogs,” Dutt said.Mohd Azeem, the maintenance manager at Ecovillage 2, described the protest as a “one-off event”. “We have discussed the matter with both dog lovers and those protesting the feeding of strays inside the society. They took a mutual decision to follow all rules related to stray dogs and other animals,” he added.
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