On a sunny day, a fox was resting in a vast mustard field when two drones suddenly began flying a few feet above its head. The terrified animal started running, its peaceful moment turned into panic by people's greed for creating content.
In another video, a young man was seen attaching balloons to the tail of a dog sleeping on grass by the roadside. He then threw stones from a distance to burst the balloons.
The loud noise woke the dog, which jumped up and ran in all directions in terror.
Many people are now creating videos by harassing animals in this manner and spreading them on social media to gain views. However, such content creation and distribution may now lead to imprisonment and fines. Following intense criticism over these incidents, the government has taken the initiative to amend the Animal Welfare and Protection Act, 2019.
What the Draft Proposes
The new draft proposes a maximum of six months' imprisonment or a fine of Tk 50,000 for creating and distributing content that harasses animals. The amendment will determine the punishment for such offenses, according to sources concerned.Instances of Viral Videos
The first video was published in May this year on a Facebook page named 'Banglar Drone'. The video, captioned 'Funny fight between fox and drone', showed a fox running in fear from drones. Additionally, a video of bursting balloons tied to a sleeping dog's tail has also spread widely on social media.The growing trend of creating such videos has sparked strong anger among animal lovers and the general public. Those concerned hope the amendment will resolve this issue. Once the new law takes effect, both content creators and those who distribute such material will come under its purview.
