In Mahabharatha there is a story. Koushika, a brahmin acquires enormous powers through thapas. One day when he was sitting under a tree, a balaka bird discharged bird drops on his head. He angrily looked up and cursed and the bird fell dead. Afterwards he went into the village seeking alms[biksha]. The lady of the house was about to give him alms, when her husband returned home. She immediately went inside to attend to her husband and made the brahmin wait. Afterwards when she came out with alms, Koushika was very angry and was about to curse her. The lady replied "I am not balaka. I am a pativratha. Your curse will do me no harm. First learn to control yourself , if you are seeking salvation." Then Kaushika cools down and asks for her advice. She advices him to go to Dharmavyadha.
After a long journey Koushika reaches Dharmavyadha. He was very busy in his shop attending to customers. The whole place filled meat, blood and dead bodies of birds and animals. Koushika had to wait bearing the stench and watching the sight till sunset. After sunset he closed his business and went inside to attend to his old parents. After some more time he comes out asks Koushika what he wants. Koushika asks him is it not a sin that everyday you kill so many birds and animals? As a brahmin have I got to learn dharma from a sinner like you. Dharmavyadha gives him a long serman. The gist of it was that we cannot live in this world without killing animals. Even the water you drink contains many unseen animals.
The advice of Dharmavyadha is pertinent in this case too. Do we not kill flies, mosquitos, bed bugs? Do we not kill rats and bandikoots. Islam says that animals should be bled to death to make them fit for eating. Millions of fish and millions of animal are killed every day so that man can eat and live.
One should not be unnecessarily cruel to animals. When necessary they have to be killed. But kill in a humane manner.
Unfortunately due to influence of Jainism some courts in this country have ordered the municipalities not to kill stray. So we have to suffer their bites and disturbing our sleep at night.
MPS Ramani