About a dog

Lovely readers,

Good day.

This is Sameen, a fellow Earthling [1] whose name you might have seen in Us Magazine before.

And as you may or may not have noticed yet, I have taken over today’s issue of the magazine. Apologies!

Let me explain.

But before that, let me warn you, the rest of this piece is a bit of a downer. Tears are likely to be shed at some point. So grab a box of tissues, have a seat, make yourselves comfortable. Now hand me the box of tissues because I am going to need it.

Take a look at this photo. [2]

This is Rocket, a beautiful four-legged bundle of awesomeness. I first met him a few months ago – perhaps in the second half of last year? – when I found him walking around, all by his lonesome, in my neighbourhood. I gave him some milk and bread, and that’s how we became friends. He quickly became very popular and much loved in my family. Whenever he showed up – which was almost every day, at times more than once a day – we’d feed him, talk to him, dote over him, and sometimes let him into the porch to rest. He was smart, gentle, and very friendly, and his effortless adorableness always left us uplifted. We talked about letting him stay inside more often (if we could teach him to get along with our many stray cats) and he was on his way to having a permanent home with us [3], but that wasn’t to be.

On 14th March, we heard a gunshot. Rocket, we would soon find out, had been shot and killed. And so had most of his canine friends.

I had heard of the culling of stray dogs numerous times before, and it had always broken my heart. But I had been told it didn’t happen here, not in our town. Our people weren’t that brutal, and if there was ever an issue, our strays were just nicely, humanely relocated to some magical farm where they lived happily ever after. Of course I didn’t entirely believe that, but surely the authorities wouldn’t just suddenly, randomly shoot all the dogs?

Yes they would.

Just thinking of culling is upsetting for any animal lover; experiencing it first hand is just plain excruciating.

What could possibly make it even more excruciating? Finding three lovely dogs (who looked very similar to Rocket) outside the house the next morning and not knowing what the heck to do.

A guard told us that a man had been called in to shoot the dogs, and the guard himself seemed upset about the decision. “It’s such a sin to shoot animals like this, it’s such a sin to shoot cats and dogs,” he kept repeating. “Bohat gunna hai, bohat gunna hai.”

So were we going to hear three more gunshots that day? We couldn’t just sit idly by and let that happen. But what could we do?

“Contact NGOs,” someone suggested, and a lot of frantic googling later, we found the links to a few animal welfare organizations that helped stray animals. A friend was nice enough to message them on Facebook, until we finally heard back from one of them. Todd’s Welfare Society (TWS) agreed to help by relocating the dogs (for a fee of Rs.1000, which another friend generously donated immediately). Their team showed up twice – on Thursday night and Saturday night – and despite their best efforts were unable to catch the dogs (who it turned out were the parents of lovely little pups). The TWS folks simply weren’t trained for the job, they said; they were just volunteers. They did, however, manage to convince the authorities to stop the culling (for now) and next time to give them a call and to help them relocate the dogs instead of killing them mercilessly.

Of course this isn’t a permanent solution and it leaves the ultimate fate of the dogs in limbo. So what is a better, long-term solution? I tried to find out, and the nice folks at Us Mag were kind enough to allow me to tell you all about it.

To find out about humane stray control strategies, I asked a number of veterinarians, including some who have worked on projects to rescue stray dogs; you can read what they had to say here.

Fortunately a lot of people are trying to do something about this issue. You can read the interviews of three such efforts – TWS in Lahore, Save Our Strays in Karachi, and People’s Animal Care Trust in Rawalpindi – in today’s issue of Us. There are, of course, many more animal welfare initiatives in this country; we hope we will be able to tell you about their efforts, too, in the future.

We have also asked celebrities their views on animal rights and welfare. We admire these people for their talents, and they clearly admire animals for all the benefits and love they provide.

In these pages, you will hear from a lot of people who will implore you to love animals, not fear them; to try and help them, not shoot or poison them to death. Several experts have explained why culling does not solve anything; it just leaves you tapped in an endless cycle of brutality. Please pay heed to their words.

Nature is magical. Everything has its place in this world, and we all need to coexist in harmony. Being the dominant species gives us power. And with great power, superheroes keep telling us, comes great responsibility. It is our responsibility to help the creatures around us, not crush them.

While I may not know much, I am fairly certain of the fact that God did not create dogs so that psychopaths could use them for shooting practice.

Please help bring culling to an end. Help any animals you can. Raise awareness about their plight. Teach children to care. Don’t let your fear or inconvenience be the death sentence for another living creature. And if you have genuine concerns about any animals, please do not ask your authorities to shoot or poison them; specify that you don’t condone needless violence – ask for humane solutions instead.

Embrace love.

And if you can’t do anything else, then just do one thing: be kind. Please be kind.

[1] (unless you’re from a different planet, in which case … hope you’re having better luck than we are)

[2] This is an old photo from when he first showed up months ago. I’m afraid I don’t have any more recent photos. Didn’t realize I urgently needed to take more. Didn’t know I’d never get the chance.

[3] A friend abroad had even sent a collar for him. It hasn’t arrived yet. You do not want to speak to me the day it does.

- Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News International - 30th March, 2018 *

For the love of animals

us talk

Celebrities weigh in on the situation of animal rights in Pakistan, the plight of stray animals, and what can be done to make things better for animals in this country

Haroon Rashid

Haroon and Bella

- Animal rights in Pakistan: Unfortunately animal rights are not getting the attention they deserve. Animals need to be treated in the most humane manner possible.
- Plight of stray animals in Pakistan: I think the plight of animals in Pakistan is not very good. You just have to take a look at the state of some of the zoos. We do have many animal lovers in Pakistan, but at the same time, the majority of the population never grew up with pets and are scared of cats and dogs, which is quite funny to me.
- How to improve the situation: I think the biggest issue we face is awareness and that can come through education and public service messages. Furthermore, I think children should be exposed to animals at a young age. Many children are discouraged from keeping pets by their parents even though they desperately would love to get a puppy or a kitten. Having pets can have so many benefits; it’s well documented in science. Children especially benefit from growing up with pets. Pets teach empathy and responsibility; can give children confidence; and can be very therapeutic.

Zoe Viccaji

- Animal rights in Pakistan: As a nation, we treat our animals really badly, and there seems to be very little empathy towards living things. Something that bugs me to no end is that whenever I post anything about animal rights or a case where animals are being treated badly I get a number of messages telling me to get my priorities right and how dare I talk about animals when there are ‘much bigger’ issues.
- Plight of stray animals in Pakistan: My heart bleeds for our strays.  I know overpopulation is a huge issue and stray dogs have been a nuisance to many, but this issue needs to be tackled as it has been in many foreign countries through trap-neuter-release. Unfortunately our people believe in what they think are quick fixes, and hordes of dogs are poisoned and killed. Funds dedicated to proper population control are swallowed by those at the top.
- How to improve the situation: That’s a tough question and I’m really no expert. I would start by creating loving environments in schools for animals and making them more a part of children’s lives. Just as we are told to do to others as we would have them do unto us, love and respect towards animals needs to be built into our moral and ethics codes.

• Zoe and Teddy: This is the very first dog I ever had. Picked him up in Jhelum and [hid] him in the car. When we got home my parents got a shock. We went back trying to find its home and finally some shopkeepers said he was a stray who had no home and we were welcome to keep him. His name was Teddy and he went on to live for around 12 or 14 years. My first song was also about him when he passed away.

Goher Mumtaz
- Animal rights in Pakistan: Animal rights in Pakistan are seriously compromised. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any animal rights being acted upon, so not sure even if there are any. [Animal rights will remain only theoretical] until and unless the masses are aware of them and feel responsible towards them.
- Plight of stray animals in Pakistan: Animals are mistreated, abused, and neglected. And what’s sad is that it can be witnessed anywhere and everywhere in Pakistan because there is no law and no fear of any charges or punishment. The mind-set of people that “forget about animals, even we humans don’t have any rights here” makes it ok for them to mistreat or become a witness to the mistreatment towards animals.
- How to improve the situation: I believe there should be a law [that requires] charges [being filed] there and then, like they do if you break traffic rules. There should be shade provided for working animals, with designated areas where they can rest. There should be shelters for stray animals to encourage people to help them and leave them in good hands. I can go on and on.

Angeline Malik

Angeline and Oscar Wilde

- Animal rights in Pakistan: I feel there is no such thing as animal rights in Pakistan. I believe they have equal rights as any human being but it's a shame that animals are treated with cruelty in Pakistan.
- Plight of stray animals in Pakistan: It's very unfortunate but if you look around you and see all these voiceless stray animals, you will think their conditions are so pathetic that their only relief is death. How terrible is that? No one bothers to feed them and provide them clean water. In fact, the general attitude is of abusing them, which is a shame since being a Muslim state we are supposed to be kind to all beings, but that is not what the general population practices.
- How to improve the situation: We can improve conditions by creating awareness. No one addresses the rights of animals. The general population is more concerned about their own wellbeing. [There will be improvement] if we can reinforce the fact that while [people] are working on the betterment of their own plight, they should be kind to animals along the way. The government should take steps to create more shelters. Take a stand where we see any kind of cruelty to animals and reinforce the basics of Islam.

Nausher Javed

- Animal rights in Pakistan: Unfortunately this is a neglected topic in our society. I don't see a lot of focus or attention given towards it. 
- Plight of stray animals in Pakistan: I feel the only focus is on killing or poisoning the stray animals with no future oriented approach.
- How to improve the situation: Better medical services, more veterinary clinics, and qualified doctors is what we need. There is scope to introduce more adoption centres and animal centres where pets can be left in safe hands.

Ayesha Omar

- Animal rights in Pakistan: I feel that we need more rights for all living beings in Pakistan, whether it’s animals or human beings. I do know that a bill was passed recently which makes cruelty towards all animals a criminal offense punishable under law, so hats off for that bill being passed. At least a step has been taken in the right direction. But a lot more can be done.
- Plight of stray animals in Pakistan: There are so many strays all over the country. A few people I know do actually work a lot for animal rights. A friend of mine, Ayesha Chundrigar, has an animal shelter as well which I frequently visit, and a lot of friends are also doing stuff privately on their own.
- How to improve the situation: I think that more laws can be passed about cruelty towards animals. I think the government should set up animal shelters for strays where they can feed animals, and also work on awareness campaigns to promote animal rights. We need to educate people and teach them what to do when they see an animal in pain. And the state should get involved and get connected to the people who are trying to help animals on their own.

Anoushey Ashraf

Photo credit ACF

- Animal rights in Pakistan: I have been a very strong advocate of animal rights in Pakistan. I think they deserve the rights that are already there in our laws but they’re just not implemented.
- Plight of stray animals in Pakistan: My heart breaks every time I look at a donkey or a dog or a cat or any strays. It really makes me feel very sad and very upset. I’m glad that there are organizations and the youngsters are now doing their bit to help the plight of stray animals in Pakistan. I have a feeling that very soon things will get better for them.
- How to improve the situation: I think teaching children empathy [will help] because learning to respect and love animals starts at an early age. Another thing that can improve the situation is the spaying-neuter campaign that the Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation is working on extensively. That’s a really good way of going about things because that’s how you eventually end up controlling the population of strays in the country, and that will automatically improve the situation.

- Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News International - 30th March, 2018 *

Compassion for strays

petwise

Seeking more ethical treatment for the nation’s stray dogs

Instead of finding a humane, long-term solution for stray management, authorities are choosing to brutally shoot and poison stray dogs. Surely there is a better, kinder, more effective strategy for stray management and control? We asked a number of veterinarians how best to deal with this issue and what can be done to improve the plight of stray animals in Pakistan. Here’s what they had to say…

Dr. Syed Saleem Ahmad

(Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences; CEO Saleem Vet Clinic)
We ran a pilot project with U.S. funding for rescuing stray dogs. We caught the strays with a catcher and sometimes we needed to use dart guns. Then we operated - that is castrated or neutered - and vaccinated them. We kept them in a shelter home and then handed them over to animal lovers. It was a very successful project. To shoot or give painful drugs to animals is unethical. The best solution is to make shelter homes for these stray animals. And if an animal needs to be put down [for instance, in case of diseases where we have no other option], it is better to first tranquilize them. These efforts are not being made just due to lack of funding at government level and the mind-set of the public.

Dr. Rehan Mehmood
(Owner Pets and Vets)
Firstly, there should be legislation in our assemblies to stop cruelty towards stray animals. Secondly, awareness should be raised in our society about treating stray animals with kindness, with media, seminars, animal shows, and the addition of subjects in school education [working towards inspiring kind behaviour towards animals].
A large portion of stray animals consists of dogs, and the main perceived threat of dogs is biting, which, in very rare cases, leads to rabies. However, the rabies vaccine is available at a very cheap rate - for less than Rs. 80 per animal - and its immunity lasts for three years. Our NGO, Save the Animals Foundation, undertook the task of vaccinating strays and made almost 80 percent stray dogs “rabies free” in some specific areas of Lahore for three years [proving that this disease can be easily prevented]. The government should collaborate with animal NGOs and other institutions for the betterment of stray animals.

Dr. Rashid Hussain
(Veterinarian, Asim Pets Clinic)
The most important thing is to educate people that all strays and pets should be surgically fixed so that they do not reproduce. The major problem is lack of resources and the Pakistani people’s lack of information about animals.

Dr. Waseem Hassan
(Veterinary surgeon; owner SurgVet Pet Hospital Karachi)
In Pakistan, people complain to the authorities for culling of dogs due to [the fear of] dog bites and sometime they don’t like their barking in the streets. There are two main solutions for stray management. The first involves educating the community about animal kindness. The second and permanent solution is mass vaccination and surgeries to stop their further breeding so that they spend the rest of their life peacefully. After surgery and vaccination, they should be marked with some type of tattoos or any collar [to show they have received the procedures] and the community should be educated about the whole procedure. A third solution is to make shelter houses for strays. But much more important is to change the thinking of people [and how they perceive dogs] and educating them to love animals.

Dr. Awais Anees
(Principal Veterinary Surgeon, Lahore Animal Hospital)
Dogs have been with us for thousands of years. Their utility as companion animals and their right to co-exist with man was well recognized by ancient sages, and the dogs were loved and nurtured.
As a practicing vet surgeon, I think the only logical way to keep dogs off the streets is to have zero garbage in the city. A.B.C. (Animal Birth Control) programme is another way to control the dog population. The cost can be drastically cut through chemical castration of male dogs. At Lahore Animal Hospital, we do low cost sterilization of stray adopted animals with free rabies vaccination. I have also heard that the Lahore City Government in collaboration with University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore is about to launch Rabies Free Lahore.

- Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 30th March, 2018 *

Todd’s Welfare Society - rescuing Lahore’s strays

in conversation

While there are some people who choose to turn a blind eye to the suffering of the animals around them, there are fortunately many others who decide to take action and help the furry, feathered, and scaled creatures in need. Kiran Maheen is a shining example of the latter. We asked Kiran to tell us about her organization, Todd’s Welfare Society (TWS), and the experience of rescuing Lahore’s strays...

Us: What inspired the creation of TWS?
Kiran Maheen: Animal rights and environmental sustainability has always been my passion. Even as a young child I would rescue kittens and puppies off the road and bring them up, but then you get sucked into the rat race of perfect grades and all interests are forgotten. Seven years ago, I had to go through something traumatic to remind me of the person I once was. My three year old, Todd, walked out of the house for five minutes, and he never came back. That incident changed how I looked at animals. We are not their owners, but their families. Somebody just took a member of my family away from me and nobody cared, not my friends (save a few), or the police or the guards and general community. Suddenly I was looking at the animal world with a new sight. I saw the animals suffering on the roads, and in zoos because we the “human animals” don’t consider their lives important enough.
The second event which led to the creation of TWS was around two years ago when I received a frantic call from my friend, Umer Rajpoot. Model Town security had shot a stray dog near his house; she had been shot twice in the face with a double barrel gun and bullets had pierced through her eyes blinding her. He did not have any transport at the moment to take her to the vet, and according to civilians nearby she was shot at around 6-7 a.m, which meant she had been suffering from the last few hours. I got in contact with another animals rights activist and she rushed to the scene. They rushed to the nearest clinic where the dog was humanely put down. We named her Joanne as nobody should die nameless, and buried her in a plot nearby.
That was the day I realized that mere talks were not helping. We needed to do something practically to end this suffering. This is how on March 6th, TWS was formed to protect and fight for animal rights.

Us: Tell Us about your journey with TWS so far.
Kiran: The last two years have been absolutely incredible. We have laughed, cried, and screamed but once you look at a scared dog finally trusting you and coming forward for a cuddle, a sick cat who didn’t have a single hair on his/her body get better and find a loving home, it’s all worth it.
We have rescued over 300 animals, including dogs, cats, donkeys, rabbits, and birds. We have spayed and neutered almost 90 percent of our rescues, which is an important objective. We have also conducted awareness seminars in schools and universities, in which we taught students about basic animal rights and what they can do to help reduce animal cruelty, organized volunteer programs with different schools - including City School, LGSi, and TNS - through which the students volunteered at the shelter.
We’re currently building an animal shelter in Lahore, which will be operational by mid-summer.

Us: What obstacles or criticisms have you had to face?
Kiran: Surprisingly, raising funds has never been a challenge. We have met such kind, compassionate, and generous people over the last two years. Overall Pakistan is a very charitable nation; we always heard this but now we have also experienced it.
Finding adoptions, however, is a big problem. Everyone wants to comment on a local kitten’s/puppy’s picture and tell you how cute they are but nobody wants to take them home. However, if he/she is a breed, our inbox is flooded with requests for adoptions.
The basic culture of our country has also been quite a challenge frankly. The belief that dogs are unclean and dangerous is ingrained in our society. Emma, a pregnant dog we rescued - who was also our first rescue - was an incredibly happy and loving dog. The kids in the streets had been feeding and looking after her for months. However, people in the area felt that her presence in the street was keeping the angels away. They truly believed that she was bringing germs and gandagi to the area, for which they wanted to poison her. I shudder to think what would have happened had we not rescued her.
Another thing which I have been noticing a lot is that as a society we do not value the life of an animal. The fact that one ran over a dog or a cat isn’t something to feel sad about. It is treated as one of those “oh” situations that are forgotten within seconds. We as Pakistanis have become so self-absorbed that we do not believe that another living being can feel, think, and feel pain. The classic line “help humans, not animals; the animals’ life is not important” has been said to me more times than I can count.
To overcome all of these challenges, I personally believe that there is only one way: to educate and teach the youth regarding animal rights.

Us: What’s been the government’s response to the killing of stray animals in Lahore?
Kiran: We have tried to contact the government several times. The response has always been lukewarm. However, the last time we contacted them was a few months back when one of our members managed to contact someone senior in the Punjab Government. Sadly, we were told that they do not want to even look at the proposal, and that they will keep shooting the dogs as they are a threat and are “impure”.

Us: What do you think is the best course of action for stray management?
Kiran: Perhaps the only way is TNVR - Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, and Return. You neuter or spay the dog, so that they cannot breed anymore; you vaccinate them, to control rabies; then you tag them and put them back on the street. This is literally the only way.
Dog culling has never been and will never be appropriate. You kill 2000 dogs from the 3000 that exist; in another year those 1000 left will have given birth to several more dogs. For example, the 1000 are evenly distributed in pairs. This means 20 puppies per pair, per year. That’s 10,000 dogs more in just one year. Even if 40% die of natural causes, you still have 6000 more dogs. But if you implement TNR, and spay 70% of the population, within 5 to 6 years, the population will decrease by 50 to 60%.
Also, we need to build a culture where local breeds are promoted rather than fluffy foreign breeds. A stray local dog will love you the same as a foreign dog.
Lastly, we need laws. Laws to protect animal rights for offenders who repeatedly abuse and neglect animals. Unless the government makes it a criminal act to harm animals, the abuse will never stop. Some new laws were passed the last few months, but the government itself doesn’t follow them.

Us: Why do you think the plight of animals does not get the attention it deserves in this country?
Kiran: I often get to hear that in a country, which is suffering from poverty, unemployment and hunger, animals rights is not what one should focus on. But let me ask you, of the 1000 NGOs that exist, how many do you see working for animals? Probably one or two of them? If those NGOs stop, who is going to look at forgotten souls? I am not saying humans are not suffering. However, that does not mean that we turn a blind eye to the constant, widespread, intense abuse animals suffer in our country.
Sadly, our constant denial of animal abuse affects us and people around us as well. Studies show that psychopaths, convicted serial killers, and rapists are very likely to have abused animals. Their lack of remorse, compassion and empathy makes animals an easy target for them. However, as they grow up they start losing interest in animals and start targeting humans. There is a very high link between animal abuse and domestic violence.

Us: What can the average person do to help animals in Pakistan?
Kiran: We can all take simple steps to decrease animal abuse and help animals in our society. Of course not everyone has to be an animal rescuer or has to adopt an animal, but we can also help them by making their life easier.
Start by leaving out food and water outside your homes or on your roofs. Pakistan faces some of the worst summers and we literally see birds falling down from dehydration. You can help injured and sick animals by just taking them to the vet, or calling your local NGO or vet for help. If you see someone hurting an animal, stop them right there! Tell kids not to throw stones and donkey cart owners not to beat their donkeys or starve them.
If you already have a pet, you can spay and neuter them; a lot of puppies die from disease, accidents, are tortured or end up homeless. You can say no to places which abuse animals, places like your local zoo, circuses, weddings with caged, scared pigeons in small cages - stop visiting them and tell them what they are doing is wrong. Animals have lived here for far longer than any of us; they have more right to this land then we do.
And if you can donate to a shelter like ours, that will go a long way in helping the animals we rescue. We take food, litter, bedding, and other items as well as donations. Every little bit helps.

- Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 30th March, 2018 *

Save Our Strays – helping animals in Karachi

in conversation

A chat with Syed Mustafa Ahmed, the lead volunteer of SOS 

Us: How and when was SOS Animals Pakistan founded, and what inspired the creation of this initiative?
Syed Mustafa Ahmed: Save Our Strays is not an organization. We’re just 12 individuals working voluntarily to help stray animals. Being an animal lover since childhood and then experiencing the culling of strays led to the formation of SOS. Our goal is to make this a public interest, and not a personal one.

Us: What efforts has SOS been making to help stray animals in the last few years?
Mustafa: Save our Strays relocated more than 3,500 dogs from DHA and Clifton in 2015 alone. We have neutered, vaccinated, and collared above 1,052 animals – both dogs and cats – since 2012, and also vaccinated and collared above 7,500 animals since 2012. We have managed to stop culling in almost every area of Karachi. We have also facilitated the adoption of around 140 to 170 stray animals, rescued and treated 5,000 plus injured animals, run animal rights awareness programs in 7 areas of Karachi, and are also working towards helping marine and wildlife.

Us: How do you feel about the response you have received from the public so far?
Mustafa: The public response and overall experience has been very positive. It’s a matter of proper conversation and guidance.

Us: Who is responsible for the decision of shooting stray animals? Have there been any efforts to inspire the government/authorities to pay attention to this issue and consider humane alternatives instead?
Mustafa: The cantonment law of public safety is the main issue and needs amendment. It allows culling of stray animals on the basis of rabies control, whereas all developing countries including India and Sri Lanka have adopted the World Health Organization guidelines of Animal Birth Control. 

Us: What do you think is the best course of action for stray management? And what efforts do you think should be made to improve the stay animal situation in the country?
Mustafa: The best way to handle the stray population is trap-neuter-vaccinate-release. The population will automatically decrease over time.

Us: You must have come across a lot of apathy towards the plight of stray animals, and there are many who consider the issue unimportant or secondary. Why do you think this issue does not get the attention it deserves in this country? And why do you think this is important? Why should people care about animals?
Mustafa: Usually everyone believes that stray dogs have rabies and are impure, as guided by our religious scholars and of course the society we live in, but the reality is that they are a part of our ecosystem. God made them for a reason. Rat population is controlled by cats; cat population is controlled by dogs.  Dogs are our natural security guards, and have always lived side by side with humans.
What people need is clear guidance on the topic of animal welfare and their rights, not just from a humanitarian point of view, but also from scientific, religious and health angles.

Us: What can the average person do to help stray animals in Pakistan?
Mustafa: Feed them, help them become friendly, get them vaccinated, and if you can afford it, get them neutered.

- Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 30th March, 2018 *

People’s Animal Care Trust – feeding strays in Rawalpindi

in conversation

Fans of ‘90s pop music might remember Fringe Benefits, a band that gained popularity with songs like ‘Tanhai’ and ‘Pyar Diyan Gallan’. In recent years, the group’s vocalist, Shehryar Kureshi, has been busy with a very different project: helping street animals.

He has opened his own rented home to rescued animals, providing shelter to dozens of creatures in need, including 23 cats, three dogs, and even a crow. Plus he goes out every afternoon to feed around 50 to 60 street cats in Rawalpindi. “The reason I have dedicated my life to helping animals so much is because there are already so many people dedicated to hurting them,” he says.

Shehryar explains that he wasn’t “inspired” but “compelled” to initiate the animal welfare organization People’s Animal Care Trust (PACT) in 2009 after being affected by the terrible condition of animals, especially stray cats and dogs. “The behaviour of the majority of the people in our society is extremely cruel towards these poor souls,” he bemoans. “People are completely unaware and ignorant when it comes to animal rights. There is a plethora of human welfare and development NGOs here in Pakistan, but animal welfare NGOs are scarce in number.”

The teachings of Islam also influenced him to show kindness towards animals. “Our Holy Book, Quran, has several verses which teach us to be kind and merciful towards other living beings, as Allah loves such persons, and even the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also motivates us to show kindness and mercy to animals,” he says. “Sadly our clerics talk about everything in their sermons except acts of kindness towards animals according to Islam.”

Shehryar prides himself in being a “messiah for animals”, and aims to bring up more change with his organization. “We hope to construct a proper animal shelter along with a 24/7, state of the art hospital facility with a qualified vet,” he explains. “We also want there to be a task force to prevent animal abuse and to reinforce the implementation of the laws against animal cruelty.”

As for his music career, Shehryar says he misses the ‘90s golden era of Pakistani music, but he is still active on this front (his new songs are on his YouTube channel) as well as training a choir and teaching music, trying to impart his knowledge to youngsters.

His main focus, though, remains on PACT. The organization has been running with the help of donations from generous patrons, and Shehryar has also been spending a portion of his own salary to foot the food and medical costs of his rescues. He hopes the Us Magazine readers will help spread the word about PACT and will also choose to treat animals will kindness. “Animals are just like us,” he says. “Just because they don’t talk like us doesn’t mean they don’t feel like us.” He also wishes parents will encourage children to love animals and feel empathy towards them instead of being scared of them “No animal will harm you until they feel threatened,” he continues. “Raising awareness is the best way forward.”

- Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 30th March, 2018 *

The Spy Who Dumped Me sends two charming actresses on a zany adventure

trailer review

The leading ladies of Hollywood have proven time and again that they can be just as entertaining and bankable as their male counterparts, and when they team up for female-fronted action and buddy comedies, the results can be quite enjoyable.

That’s why we’re looking forward to The Spy Who Dumped Me, a film that may not have a very ingenious premise but will hopefully deliver some laughs courtesy of the comedic chops of its leads.

Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon have teamed up for this spy adventure. The duo portray Audrey (Kunis) and Morgan (McKinnon), two best friends who unexpectedly become entangled into an international conspiracy when it turns out the former’s ex-boyfriend (played by Justin Theroux) is a CIA agent.

“Some bad people are after me,” he tells them while they’re under attack, “now they’re after you.”

The two friends then find themselves ineptly – and amusingly – evading bad guys.

The trailer gives us a sneak peek at a couple of the film’s attempts at humour; some are a tad underwhelming (the ladies’ inability to drive stick shift isn’t the most inspired gag) and some are undeniably amusing (McKinnon’s “she googled it on my computer and now I get a lot of weird ads” is the highlight of the trailer).

Admittedly the concept isn’t exactly highbrow and none of it seems very original, but it’s the chance to potentially see Kunis and McKinnon at their goofball best that makes this project promising. (But with McKinnon cast as a sidekick yet again, it does leave you thinking if she’s being typecast; given how talented she is, it might be fun to see her as the lead and trying something a bit different soon.)

Ultimately, The Spy Who Dumped Me has paired two charming actresses and sent them on a zany adventure, and while it won’t redefine the genre, it could possibly be a fun popcorn flick.

Directed by Susanna Fogel, the film also stars Gillian Anderson, Sam Heughan, Hasan Minhaj, and Ivanna Sakhno, and is set to be release this summer on 3rd August.

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune Blogs - 29th March, 2018 *

The Grinch - because Hollywood has clearly run out of original ideas

trailer review

Hollywood’s fondness for revisiting familiar ground keeps leading to the rehashing of old, well-known tales, which explains why we’re about to get another adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ children’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957).

The classic story of the holiday-hating curmudgeon was turned into an animated television special with Boris Karloff voicing the titular character in 1966, and then adapted into a live-action movie starring Jim Carrey in 2000.

Now Illumination Entertainment has created a big screen animated adventure inspired by the Christmas tale. Directed by Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier, The Grinch finds Benedict Cumberbatch voicing its anti-hero protagonist, the infamous grump who, disgruntled by the loud, merry celebrations of his neighbours in Whoville, decides to steal Christmas.

The trailer doesn’t shed much light on the overall arc of the tale and focuses mainly on a handful of mostly middling gags. An in-joke about the very unhappy Grinch being woken up by his alarm clock playing Pharrell Williams’s ‘Happy’ (the popular tune from the soundtrack of Illuminations’ Despicable Me 2) is more groan-inducing than amusing.

We don’t see anything particularly inspired or original in this short two minute preview, and it all feels a bit “meh”. Plus there isn’t enough dialogue in the trailer to judge how well Cumberbatch’s voice acting will fit in the titular role.

The animation itself, however, looks good. The character designs are impressive, and the protagonist’s loyal dog, Max, in particular, is absolutely adorable.

The question that this project – and many others like it – raises is: do we really need another adaptation of something we have already seen before? Wouldn’t it be more impressive and entertaining if studios try to create something original instead of going back to the same old ideas?

So far this attempt to revisit the Grinch’s story seems unnecessary and a tad underwhelming. However, Cumberbatch’s presence alone gives us hope that the movie will itself prove to be amusing and entertaining.

The Grinch will be released on 9th November, 2018.

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune Blogs - 19th March, 2018 *

Fabulous fauna

quiz whiz

1. What is the collective noun for a group of pandas?
A. Embarrassment
B. Implausibility
C. Murder
D. Pandemonium

2. How many toes does a cat normally have?
A. 16
B. 18
C. 20
D. 22

3. What is the average life expectancy of a goat?
A. 3 to 5 months
B. 4 to 6 years
C. 8 to 10 years
D. 15 to 18 years

4. How many tigers remain in the world?
A. 390,000
B. 39,000
C. 3,900
D. 390

5. What is a male duck called?
A. Bruno
B. Drake
C. Kendrick
D. Prince

6. What colour is a polar bear’s skin?
A. White
B. Yellow
C. Green
D. Black

7. What sound do elephants make?
A. Trumpet
B. Toot
C. Honk
D. Howl

8. What is the normal canine gestation period?
A. 22 days
B. 63 days
C. 280 days
D. 640 days

9. What is the young of a kangaroo called?
A. Joey
B. Chandler
C. Ross
D. Gunther

10. Which mammal lays eggs?
A. Orca
B. Penguin
C. Duck-billed platypus
D. Bat

11. Which of these four animals runs the fastest?
A. Horse
B. Giraffe
C. Bison 
D. Ostrich

12. How many hearts does an octopus have?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4

*****

Answers

1. A
A group of pandas is called an embarrassment, bamboo, or cupboard of pandas.
Shrewdness is the collective noun for a group of apes.
Murder is a group of crows.
And a group of parrots is called a pandemonium!

2. B
Normal cats have 18 toes – five on each front paw and four on each hind paw.
In rare cases, however, cats can have more toes: polydactyl cats have a congenital physical anomaly and may have as many as eight digits on their fore or hind paws or, less commonly, on both sets of paws.

3. D
While life expectancy differs by type and subspecies, a goat’s natural life span is thought to be between 15 and 18 years. However, goats are slaughtered at ages as young as only 3 to 5 months old, and are often slaughtered between 6 months to a year.

4. C
While the exact number of tigers is unknown, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), there are at least 3,890 tigers in the wild as of 2016, more than 2,200 of which are in India. It is estimated that there were over 100,000 tigers in the wild at the start of the 20th century, but several subspecies of the big cat have since been brought to the brink of extinction.
In comparison, there are 7.6 billion humans in the world.

5. B
A male duck is called a drake. A female duck is called … a duck.

6. D
A polar bear’s skin is actually black. Baby polar bears have pink skin which turns black as they grow older.
Their fur is … not white. It’s clear, colourless, translucent, and hollow. It reflects light and makes the bear look white.
Polar bears that eat a lot of seals can be yellowish because of the seal oils accumulated in the fur.
Polar bears that live in warmer climates can have algae growing inside their hair, which can make them look green.

7. A
Elephants trumpet when they are excited, angry, upset, or playful by pushing air through their trunk.

8. B
A dog’s gestation period is between 58 to 68 days, usually about 63 days.
A rat’s gestation period is normally 22 days, but can be between 21 to 23 days. The average length of human pregnancy is 280 days. Elephants have the longest gestation period of all mammals, carrying their young for 640 to 660 days – that’s nearly two years! – before giving birth.

9. A
A baby kangaroo is called a joey.
Male kangaroos are called bucks, boomers, jacks, or old men. Female kangaroos are does, flyers, or jills. A group of kangaroos is a flock, herd, mob, or troop.

10. C
The duck-billed platypus is one of only two egg-laying mammals (the other being the echidna or spiny anteater).
Orca and bats are mammals that give birth to their babies instead of laying eggs. Penguin are birds that lay eggs.

11. D
The largest bird in the world, the ostrich is a very impressive runner. Ostriches can sprint at speeds of up to 72 km/h (45 mph) on average, with a peak 96.6 km/h (60 mph) during short periods, making them the fastest animal on two legs.
A horse gallops at 40 – 48 km/h. Bison can move at speeds of up to 56 km/h. And a giraffe can sprint at 55 – 60 km/hr.

12. C
An octopus has three hearts – two pump blood to the gills while a third circulates it to the rest of the body.
What’s even more peculiar though is that an octopus effectively has nine brains. Its highly complex nervous system includes a central brain and a neural structure at the base of each of its eight arms which controls movement.

- S.A.

Us Magazine, The News International - 16th March, 2018 *

And the “winner” is …

award season

While Hollywood was busy repeatedly patting itself on the back for its supposed cinematic triumphs, the Golden Raspberry Awards continued their mission to balance things out by skewering the year’s most dismal releases. The 38th edition of this annual ritual was held at the peak of the award season, with the “winners” announced a day before the Academy Awards.

The nominees

The contenders in all the main categories for this year’s Razzies were about as surprising and creative as the movies they were “celebrating”. The announcement of the nominees in January had resulted in a bit of a backlash from audiences for the three nominations given to the polarizing Mother! (including a Noxious Enactment by an Actress nod for Jennifer Lawrence and Worst Director for Darren Aronofsky), but by and large the choices across the board were mostly easy targets.

To the shock of absolutely no one anywhere, Transformers: The Last Knight and Fifty Shades Darker led the list with 10 and 9 nominations respectively. The disappointing The Mummy found itself targeted in 8 categories, while the damp-squib Baywatch and the absolutely abysmal The Emoji Movie earned 5 nods each.

The “winners”

The winners – which can be seen on the Razzie’s YouTube channel in a shoddy video that could itself have won a Razzie – mostly went to very worthy offenders.

The Emoji Movie scored four well-deserved dishonours, not only earning the trifecta of Worst Picture, Worst Director (Tony Leondis), and Worst Screenplay (Tony Leondis, Eric Siegel, and Mike White) awards but also snagging the Worst Screen Combo title for any two of its many obnoxious emojis.

Other predictable winners included Fifty Shades Darker which was a shoo-in for the Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel trophy (Kim Basinger also won a Worst Supporting Actress award for this film); Tyler Perry, who beat the aforementioned Lawrence as well as Dakota Johnson, Katherine Heigl, and Emma Watson in the Worst Actress category for his reprisal of the role of Madea in the critically reviled Boo 2! A Madea Halloween; CHiPs, which was given the Barry L. Bumstead Award for being a critical and financial failure; and Baywatch, which won in the new category of The Razzie Nominee So Bad You Loved It! (with Dwayne Johnson subsequently accepting the blow “humbly and graciously” in a video online).

But Tom Cruise was a slightly unexpected – and a tad unfair – winner in the Worst Actor category for The Mummy. Surely that wasn’t the worst performance by an actor last year?

And just how did Transformers: The Last Knight and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales manage to escape unscathed? Was Mel Gibson really a worse supporting actor in Daddy’s Home 2 than Josh Duhamel was in Transformers: The Last Knight? The Razzies seem to think so, although the audience opinion remains divided.

Other highlights of the 2018 Razzies included an In Memoriam segment which, in light of last year’s events, featured a montage of sexual misconduct offenders, and the Razzie Redeemer Award, which went to Hollywood itself for changing its Razzie-worthy behaviour and morphing into an industry “where talent is protected, nourished and allowed to flourish with proper compensation.”

So, as always, the Razzies weren’t exactly a revelation but they did offer a bit of fun, and they also left us with a very important question: what would a local version of the ceremony look like? Sunehri Bair Awards, anyone?

- Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 11th March, 2018 *

Silver screen scrutiny

quiz whiz

Oscars

1. The highest number of Academy Awards won by an individual is 22, and only one person in history has achieved this feat. But who is that person?

A. Composer Alan Menken

B. Producer Walt Disney

C. Costume designer Edith Head

D. Art director Cedric Gibbons

2. Who has won the most acting Academy Awards?

A. Katharine Hepburn

B. Meryl Streep

C. Jack Nicholson

D. Daniel Day Lewis

3. Which of these actors have never been nominated for an Oscar?

A. Marilyn Monroe

B. Jeff Daniels

C. Steve Buscemi

D. Emily Blunt

4. Three of these films hold the record for the most awards won by a single film (11). Which one of these films hasn’t won the most Oscars of all time?

A. Ben-Hur

B. Titanic

C. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

D. Avatar

5. Which of these actors is one of only 12 people to have won all four major annual American entertainment awards – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards (EGOT) – in a competitive, individual category?

A. Katharine Hepburn

B. Meryl Streep

C. Whoopi Goldberg

D. Anne Hathaway

6. If a recipient wanted to sell their Oscar, how much would they get for the award?

A. $1

B. $100

C. $1,000

D. $10,000

Milestones

7. In what year was the first full-length feature film ever released?

A. 1886

B. 1896

C. 1906

D. 1916

8. What was the first talkie ever made?

A. Alam Ara

B. The Jazz Singer

C. Singin’ in the Rain

D. The Wizard of Oz

9. Which movie was the first film made in colour?

A. The Phantom of the Opera

B. Ben-Hur

C. The Three Musketeers

D. Cupid Angling

10. What is the highest grossing film of all time?

A. Titanic

B. Avatar

C. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

D. Jurassic World

11. What is the highest grossing film franchise of all time?

A. Marvel Cinematic Universe

B. DC Extended Universe

C. James Bond

D. Star Wars

12. Who is the highest grossing actor of all time, based on the box office total of their films?

A. Scarlett Johansson

B. Harrison Ford

C. Samuel L. Jackson

D. Johnny Depp

*****

Answers:

1. B

American animation pioneer Walt Disney holds the record for most Academy Awards earned by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from a record 59 nominations. His first wins came in 1932 when he received the Honorary Academy Award for the creation of Mickey Mouse and won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoon) for the film Flowers and Trees. Most of his wins came in the Best Short Subject (Cartoon) category, although he was also triumphant in other categories, including Best Short Subject (Two-reel) and Best Documentary (Short Subject).

Composer Alan Menken holds the record for the most competitive awards won by a person who is still living (8). Costume designer Edith Head is the recipient of the most awards won by a woman (8). And art director Cedric Gibbons, who designed the Oscar statuette, won 11 awards out of a total of 39 nominations.

2. A

Katharine Hepburn won four awards – a record for any performer – all for Best Actress. She won for her performances in the films Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968) (shared with Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl), and On Golden Pond (1981).

3. A, B, C, and D

Despite their fame and/or acclaim, none of these actors have ever received an Oscar nomination.

4. D

Avatar (2009) was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won three – for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.

5. C

Whoopi Goldberg is one of the few entertainers to have won an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Oscar, and a Tony Award.

6. A

The winners and their heirs cannot sell the Oscar statuettes without first offering to sell them back to the Academy for US$1.

7. C

The 1906 Australian silent film The Story of the Kelly Gang, which followed the exploits of 19th-century outlaw Ned Kelly and his gang, is believed to be the world's first full-length narrative feature film. With an estimated budget of between £400 and £1,000, the film took six months to make, had a running time of more than an hour, and was a success upon its release, making about £25,000.

8. B

The Jazz Singer (1927), starring Al Jolson and directed by Alan Crosland, was the first feature film originally presented as a talkie. The film was based on a play of the same name by Samson Raphaelson, and was a massive box office success.

1931’s Alam Ara (The Ornament of the World), starring Master Vithal and Zubeida and directed by Ardeshir Irani, was the first Indian film with sound.

9. D

While opinions differ on this matter, the now-lost Cupid Angling (1918), the only feature film photographed using the Douglass Natural Color process, is widely considered to be the first movie made in colour.

10. B

With a box office gross of over $2.787 billion, James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) is the world’s highest grossing movie of all time. 1997’s Titanic ($2,187), 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2,068 billion), and 2015’s Jurassic World ($1,671 billion) are the second, third, and fourth highest grossing films respectively.   

11. A

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has made over $14 billion. Star Wars ($8.8 billion), James Bond ($7 billion), and DC Extended Universe ($3.7 billion) are at the second, fourth, and twelfth place respectively.

12. C

Samuel L. Jackson’s (#1) films have earned $5.149 billion. Harrison Ford’s (#2) movies have grossed $4,963, while Johnny Depp’s (#13) films have made ($3.644 billion).

Scarlett Johansson is the highest earning female performer with a total of $3.674 billion.

- S.A.

Us Magazine, The News - 9th March, 2018

Tully - a not-so-rosy look at motherhood

trailer review 

The collaborative partnership between director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Brook Busey – a.k.a. Diablo Cody – has yielded two critically successful movies: Juno (2007) and Young Adult (2011). The duo have now worked together once again; their third film is Tully, a comedy drama that tackles motherhood and its many complicated realities.

The story revolves around the character of Marlo (portrayed by Charlize Theron, who was also the star of the aforementioned Young Adult), an exhausted mother of three, including a newborn, who is dealing with the impact that parenthood has on a woman’s life and marriage, and is clearly overwhelmed by the ever-increasing responsibilities of her growing brood.

When her affluent brother (Mark Duplass) offers to hire her a night nanny, Marlo initially resists the offer, but ultimately gives in and recruits the thoughtful young helper, Tully (Mackenzie Davis).

The trailer doesn’t really spell out the direction the film will take as a bond develops between these two women. Will there be more to the movie than a frazzled mother’s life improving with the arrival of a manic pixie dream girl Mary Poppins? The writing would have to be very sharp to sustain a film just on that premise alone. Should we expect a twist?

The most instantly striking thing about the trailer is Charlize Theron’s very convincing performance; the actress looks fitting exhausted in the clips. Also, Theron’s character seems central to the movie, so it will be interesting to see why Tully is the titular character of the film and not Marlo.

From the preview, it seems like female viewers in particular will probably relate to Marlo’s predicament and appreciate the film’s attempt to take an honest look at motherhood instead of offering a fantasy take through rose-tinted glasses. But Cody’s writing isn’t for everyone, and if you aren’t a fan of her stream of smart-aleck-y aphorisms, then Tully probably won’t be the film for you.

Reitman and Cody haven’t exactly been hitting home runs with their separate projects recently. Will working together again help these two filmmakers get their groove back? We’ll find out in a few weeks.

The movie is set to be released on 20th April this year.

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune Blogs - 9th March, 2018 *

Paterno brings to light the aftermath of a child sex abuse scandal

trailer review

The sporting world has been rocked by several scandals of late, with everything from doping to match-fixing in various fields making headlines around the globe. One of the most appalling episodes that have shocked sports fans in recent years came to the fore in 2011 when news broke of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. Former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was indicted for child molestation over a one and a half decade long period while long-time head coach Joe Paterno was accused of being involved in an alleged cover-up of the crimes. It’s the latter who is the subject of HBO’s upcoming television movie, Paterno.

Helmed by director Barry Levinson, the film is set to chronicle the downfall of the most victorious coach in American college football history as the magnitude of the revelations and their implications lead to the end of his career.

Al Pacino portrays the disgraced Paterno, struggling in the aftermath of his fall from grace while the question of whether he knew about the abuse looms large. The trailer suggests the thespian will be terrific in the lead role. The actor is no stranger to the task of playing controversial characters, having previously portrayed infamous figures like euthanasia proponent Jack Kevorkian in You Don't Know Jack (2010) and record producer Phil Spector – who was convicted for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson – in Phil Spector (2013). Given his impressive résumé, Pacino seems like a solid choice for the lead role, and the clips we see of him in the prevue promise another strong performance by the celebrated actor.

The trailer also shows actress Riley Keough as Sara Ganim, a reporter investigating the story who ultimately won a Pulitzer Prize for her coverage of the scandal. And we also get a glimpse of Kathy Baker as Sue Paterno, the protagonist’s wife, in the trailer’s most impactful scene – she mentions to her husband that Sandusky went in the pool with their kids before asking, “you couldn’t have known, otherwise you wouldn’t have let them go in the pool, right?”

Both the cast and the effectiveness of the trailer in capturing our interest indicate that Paterno could be an intense and impressive project, although it remains to be seen how well the movie handles the sensitive topic at its core.

The film will premiere on HBO on the 7th of April.

- Sameen Amer

The Express Tribune Blogs - 6th March, 2018 *