The Karnataka government’s proposed ban on pets at Bengaluru’s 300acre Cubbon Park, in the heart of the city.

Bengaluru is more pet-friendly than other cities but animals are banned in most parks, leaving little space to exercise dogs that, more often than not, live in small apartments. Cubbon Park was one place where dogs were allowed, both pets and community animals that have been vaccinated, spayed, christened, fed regularly by dog lovers and volunteers, and even have a Facebook group, The Cubbon Park Canines.

Two weeks ago, the state’s horticulture department decided to impose a ban after a flurry of complaints from walkers and joggers about dogs running freely in the park. I love animals and firmly disagree with the deeply-entrenched presumption that every ecosystem belongs only to humans.

The fact that the conflict between people who love animals and those who dislike them, or are petrified of them, seems never-ending. As someone who has been feeding community animals for the last decade or so and has frequently gotten into trouble with building associations for it, I do believe that animal lovers too need to be sensitive to the fact that many people are petrified of animals, something they have little control over. It is all too easy to be condescending, dismissive or confrontational when facing someone else’s fear or dislike of animals. It doesn’t help. A little sensitivity and caution could go a long way in protecting our animals, the real victims of the conflict.

Allowing dogs in public spaces is the outcome of a long-drawn battle, and pet owners must stop jeopardising these hard-won victories. The rules at Cubbon Park, which has a dog park where animals can be unleashed, have always mandated they be kept on a leash in the main park and that owners clean up after them.

The proposed ban is because some dog parents flout these basic stipulations.